There are a lot of Nittany Lions. Penn State University will be awarding its one millionth degree on Aug. 15.
The university in central Pennsylvania called it a “historic threshold” and “rare milestone” more than 170 years in the making.
The school was founded as Farmers’ High School in 1955 in the state’s first and only land-grant institution.
The first graduates, all 11 of them, received their Bachelor of Scientific Agriculture degrees in 1861.
Since then, more than 999,400 cumulative degrees have been given, with about 2,700 more being given this weekend during the summer commencement.
Of those diplomas, there are 110 associate degrees, 1,458 baccalaureates, 753 master’s, 403 doctorates, and two law degrees.
“This remarkable milestone honors the lasting legacy of Penn State’s past graduates, while illustrating the University’s ongoing commitment to educate, empower and support future generations,” Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said in a news release. “We are incredibly proud of our alumni, whose achievements and leadership are making a profound difference in communities across Pennsylvania. Our newest graduates — like those before them and those still to come — join a remarkable network of Penn Staters committed to the pursuit of knowledge, community impact and service, and we can’t wait to see how they continue to change the world.”
The graduation ceremonies will be live-streamed over the weekend. The baccalaureate and associate degree ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. ET, followed by the master’s and doctorates later Saturday afternoon.
There will also be several events to commemorate the one millionth degree, including a statewide proclamation and several local ones.
Penn State offers 275 majors and 11,000 courses and is a Top 25 U.S. research institution. More than 86,557 students were enrolled across the university’s system as of October 2025. There are still more than 800,000 living alumni globally, university officials said.
Some notable Penn State Graduates include:
Mark Parker, former Nike President and CEO
Lara Spencer, “Good Morning America”
Betty James, Slinky co-inventor and marketer
Carmen Finestra, Emmy Award-winning writer and producer
Jef Raskin, “Father of the Macintosh”
Guion Bluford, astronaut
John Aniston, “Days of Our Lives” actor, father of Jennifer Aniston
John Cappelletti, Heisman Trophy-winning running back, played for Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers
Steve McCurry, photographer, known for National Geographic’s “The Afghan Girl”
Herman Fisher, co-founder of Fisher-Price
Steve de Souza, screenwriter, producer
Keegan Michael Key, actor, writer
Ty Burrell, actor
Jonathan Frakes, actor, director, producer
Linda Yaccarino, former X CEO
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