Student Honors at Commencement
Commencement serves as an opportunity to recognize the academic and personal achievements of Penn State Abington graduates. Penn State Abington awards degrees at the completion of the fall and spring semesters.
Yet there are honors reserved for a few students during each commencement.
Marshal
Students can be recognized for tremendous academic achievements as well as contributions to the campus community with the role of Student Marshal. Marshals lead their fellow graduates into the commencement ceremony and are acknowledged during the ceremony.
Valedictorian
Penn State Abington recognizes one student for each ceremony to serve as the Valedictorian for the spring commencement. This individual is determined based on academic achievement with the first criteria being highest cumulative GPA. If more than one student has the highest cumulative GPA, the Valedictorian will be determined by a series of tiebreakers. The first tiebreaker will be the number of simultaneous credentials earned with multiple bachelor's degrees carrying the most weight. For example, the completion of two bachelor's degrees would rank higher than the completion of a bachelor's degree and a minor degree. If needed, the second tiebreaker will be the number of credits earned at Penn State. If all comparisons are equal, finalists will be asked to submit a personal statement for review and selection by campus leadership.