Kent State University is celebrating its first group of graduates, with the university conferring 1,169 advanced degrees as part of its Spring 2025 commencement ceremonies.
During a Thursday evening ceremony in the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, Kent State conferred 978 master’s degrees, 180 doctoral degrees and 11 educational specialist degrees.
Altogether, the Kent State University alumni family will grow by more than 4,800 new graduates from its eight-campus system across Ohio as the university holds its spring commencement ceremonies. The accomplishments of the Spring Class of 2025 will be recognized with commencement ceremonies on May 8-10 and May 16. All of the commencement ceremonies will be livestreamed at www.kent.edu/commencement.
In total, 4,857 degrees will be conferred this spring, including 584 associate degrees and 3,104 bachelor’s degrees. Among the spring graduates are 10 students from Notre Dame College, who transferred to Kent State after Notre Dame College closed last year, and three students from the LeBron James Family Foundation’s I Promise Program.
During the commencement ceremonies, graduating students will hear from Kent State President Todd Diacon and Executive Vice President and Provost Melody Tankersley. Graduating students also will receive individual name recognition and participate in the conferral of degrees and tassel turning ceremony.
At the 10 a.m. ceremony on May 10, Brother Rogério Renato Mateucci, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Curitiba, Brazil, will serve as the keynote speaker, offering remarks in celebration of the graduates and their achievements.
The ceremonies on May 8-10 for all colleges and degrees on the Kent Campus will be held at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. The commencement for graduating students from Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine will take place May 16 at Cartwright Hall on the Kent Campus.
To participate in commencement, graduating students had to complete their ceremony RSVP by the end of February. Each graduating student registered for commencement has tickets for their commencement ceremony guests to attend.
For more information about spring commencement, including a schedule of the ceremonies, visit www.kent.edu/commencement.
