UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s all-in-one digital platform, Penn State Go, has been recognized with a top honor at the 2026 Appademy Awards, earning "Best Desktop Portal Experience" as it continues to transform how students connect with campus resources.
The annual awards, presented by Modo Labs, celebrate innovation in digital campus experiences across higher education. The "Best Desktop Portal Experience" category highlights institutions that create streamlined, user-friendly environments that bring essential tools together in one place.
Penn State Go stood out for delivering what many describe as a “digital front door” — a centralized hub where students can quickly access services like LionPATH, Canvas, Starfish, Mobile id+ and campus events without juggling multiple platforms or bookmarks.
Originally launched as a mobile app, Penn State Go has expanded to include a web-based version accessible on laptops and desktop computers. The enhancement significantly broadened its reach, helping serve more than 90,000 students across 23 campuses with a cohesive and personalized experience tailored to individual needs.
Driven by student feedback, the web version was developed by a team within Penn State IT, with Academic Services providing significant engineering and technical leadership essential to the project’s success. Their goal was to make the desktop experience just as intuitive and customizable as the mobile app — which has already surpassed 350,000 downloads.
Ryan Seilhamer, product owner for Penn State Go, said the team identified a clear need for a unified desktop solution.
“Students are 94% of our users, so we focused the web rollout on them,” Seilhamer said. “Our student surveys showed an overwhelming majority reported they would use a web version regularly because they bookmark resources like Canvas and LionPATH on their devices. We saw this as a missed opportunity. Now with the web version they don't have to rely on multiple bookmarks. Penn State Go is a singular jumping-off point to reach all of those resources.”
The strategy proved effective: The team initially aimed to reach 10% of users through the web platform within its first year but exceeded that goal in just half the time, Seilhamer said.
In addition to winning "Best Desktop Portal Experience," Penn State Go was also named a finalist for "Best Personalized Student Experience," further underscoring its impact on student engagement and accessibility.
University leadership emphasized that the recognition reflects a broader commitment to student success and digital innovation. David Horton, vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer, highlighted the team’s achievement.
"We are proud of this award, which recognizes the commitment Penn State IT has to enabling student success, meeting our students wherever they are," Horton said. "The small-but-mighty team behind Penn State Go continues to raise the bar of convenience, reliability and seamless access for students seeking to connect with their courses, campus resources and events."
Now in its sixth year, Penn State Go has earned four Appademy Awards and continues to expand its capabilities. By consolidating essential systems into a single, accessible interface, the platform reduces complexity and helps students stay informed, connected and on track academically — reinforcing its role as a central hub for the modern Penn State experience.