Commencement Information for Families and Guests

Location 
Commencement will be held at Penn State Great Valley, 30 East Lancaster Avenue, Malvern, PA 19355. The ceremony will be held, rain or shine, under a large tent in the parking lot of the Main Building. A reception for all graduates and guests will be held after the ceremony in the Conference Center. 

Tickets
There is no limit on the number of guests, and guest registration is not required at the spring 2024 ceremony.  

ADA Accommodations
There will be ADA accessible seating. The chairs in the accessible seating area are plastic, armless portable chairs that allow movement for wheelchairs. It is helpful, but not required, to contact us ahead of time if ADA seating or any other accommodation is required at [email protected]

Parking
Parking is free at Penn State Great Valley. Parking attendants will be on duty to guide guests, including those with ADA placards to the appropriate areas. 

Timing
The ceremony will start promptly at 7 p.m. and last approximately 90 minutes. There will be a reception held in the Conference Center Building for all guests and graduates immediately following the ceremony. It is suggested that guests arrive 30 minutes in advance to park and find seating. Portable restrooms will be available.

Lodging
Information about hotels can be found here on our website. The Philadelphia International Airport and the Amtrak Train Station each are about one hour from the campus. Directions can be found on the Great Valley Visitors page. 

Inviting International Family or Friends
If you would like to invite family and friends to visit the U.S., you should provide them with the following documents for the visa interview:

A letter of invitation from you* (in your language and English) including:

  • The relationship to you
  • Purpose of the visit 
  • Dates of the visit 
  • Where the visitor(s) will sleep and eat
  • Evidence that you can support them during the visit if you are providing room and board (that might include a bank statement or assistantship information, apartment lease, etc.)
  • Evidence that you are a full-time student by requesting the enrollment verification through LionPATH.
  • Copy of your I-20 or DS-2019 
  • Any other important information

Visitors need to provide evidence that they intend to return abroad and not remain in the U.S. 

*Penn State does not provide letters of invitation for family or friends to visit. For more information contact Dagmara Karnowski, International Student Scholar Advisor at [email protected].