Penn Class of 2023, 267th Commencement, May 15, 2023

University of Pennsylvania Commencement

Franklin Field on Monday, May 15, 2023

The University of Pennsylvania's 267th Commencement ceremony will take place on Monday, May 15, 2023, in Franklin Field at 10:15 a.m., and will be preceded by student and academic processions through campus. The ceremony will end at approximately 12:15 p.m. and will feature the conferral of degrees, the awarding of honorary degrees, greetings by University officials, and remarks by the Commencement speaker, Idina Menzel, Tony Award-winning actress, singer/songwriter, producer, and author. The gates to Franklin Field will open at 8:30 a.m. for guest seating. Families and guests are welcome to attend, tickets are not required for the ceremony.

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients

The speaker and honorary degree recipients for The University of Pennsylvania's 267th Commencement ceremony include Idina Menzel, Abhijit Banerjee, Jean Bennett, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Esther Duflo, and Brent Staples (see slideshow.)

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Idina Menzel

Actress, singer, songwriter of stage and screen
Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, 2004

2023 Commencement Speaker and Honorary Doctor of Arts

More about Idina Menzel

Abhijit Banerjee

Nobel Prize in Economics, 2019
Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Honorary Doctor of Laws

More about Abhijit Banerjee

Jean Bennett

Co-pioneer of gene therapy to reverse inherited retinal disease
F.M. Kirby Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania

Honorary Doctor of Sciences

More about Jean Bennett

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Astrophysicist who discovered pulsars
Visiting Professor of Astrophysics and Professorial Fellow at Mansfield College, University of Oxford
Chancellor, University of Dundee, Scotland

Honorary Doctor of Sciences

More about Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Esther Duflo

Nobel Prize in Economics, 2019
Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Honorary Doctor of Laws

More about Esther Duflo

Brent Staples

Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Writing, 2019
New York Times Editorial Board member, author

Honorary Doctor of Letters

More about Brent Staples

Webcast of Penn’s Commencement Ceremony

Family members and friends who are unable to attend Penn’s 267th Commencement may watch or listen to a live webcast of the ceremony. Coverage from Franklin Field will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 15, 2023. For the streaming webcast, go to the Commencement Webcast & Multimedia Archives page.

Webcast