Penn’s 270th Commencement will be held on May 18. Here’s what to know ahead of the ceremony.
Time, location, and agenda
Commencement will take place at Franklin Field on Monday, May 18. Following student processions to the field, the ceremony will begin at 10:15 a.m. The entrance — located at South Street and Convention Avenue — will open at 8 a.m. Graduates will enter the stadium at 9:30 a.m., with the ceremony expected to conclude at 12 p.m.
Members of the Class of 2026, as well as students who graduated in August and December 2025, are welcome to participate in Commencement. Graduates are required to wear their designated academic regalia.
The ceremony will feature degree conferrals, the awarding of honorary degrees, remarks from Penn officials, and a keynote address. Diplomas will not be distributed at the University-wide ceremony — some students will receive the parchment at their school-specific graduation ceremonies, while the rest will be delivered by mail in July.
Proceedings will be livestreamed and recorded for online viewing. A graduate seating chart can be found on Penn’s Commencement website.
Commencement address
United States presidential scholar and best-selling author Michael Beschloss will deliver the Commencement speech. Beschloss serves as a presidential historian at NBC News and as a PBS contributor.
Penn will grant Beschloss — who has published nine books on the American presidency — an honorary doctor of letters degree.
“In his highly successful, decades-long career as author and media contributor, Mr. Beschloss has pursued the study of leadership and educated us all on many important historical figures,” Penn President Larry Jameson wrote on March 3 when announcing Beschloss’ address. “His scholarly research, writing, and insights offer an indispensable source of knowledge for better understanding the past and appreciating how it shapes the present and future.”
Penn will also grant four honorary degrees at the Commencement ceremony.
Carolyn Bertozzi will receive an honorary doctor of sciences degree. In 2022, she was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Bertozzi founded the field of bioorthogonal chemistry and is currently a professor at Stanford University.
James Corner, a 1986 Penn graduate and Stuart Weitzman School of Design professor emeritus will receive an honorary doctor of arts degree. Corner was instrumental in New York’s High Line transformation.
Claudia Goldin, a 2023 Nobel Prize laureate and former Penn professor, will be granted an honorary doctor of laws degree. She currently serves as a professor at Harvard University.
Ann Hobson Pilot, a renowned harpist, will receive an honorary doctor of music degree. Pilot was the first Black principal player to play in the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the first Black female principal player in a major orchestra.
Rules and procedures
Penn prohibits various items from the venue, including bags, signs, noisemakers, alcoholic beverages, animals, and outside food and drinks. Guests are also not permitted to bring seat cushions that contain metal, wood, or hard plastic.
Commencement is set to take place “rain or shine,” though the student procession is subject to cancellation in case of severe weather. In the event of “extreme conditions,” the ceremony will be relocated to the Palestra, where seating will only be available for the academic procession and graduates.
Tickets are not required for the event, but may be necessary for individual school ceremonies.
Accessible seating
Attendees at Penn’s commencement who require accommodations due to mobility constraints may request an accessible seating pass to be seated on the field. Guests on Franklin Field may only have one companion due to space limitations.
The University will not guarantee that requests for accessible seating made by April 30 will be honored.
School-specific ceremonies
Alongside the University-wide Commencement ceremony, graduates may attend a ceremony for the school at which they are enrolled, which will be held from May 14 to 18. Depending on location, which may be on- or off-campus, school ceremonies will have differing attendance policies.
Graduating students may also attend the Baccalaureate ceremony, an “interfaith program” that will feature student performances, prayers, an unveiling of the class Ivy Stone, and the distribution of a class pin. The ceremony will take place on May 12 at 4 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium.
Senior reporter Anvi Sehgal leads coverage of the University's administration and can be reached at sehgal@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies philosophy, politics, and economics. Follow her on X @anvi_sehgal.
