Listing your education on a resume gives employers a clear view of your academic qualifications and how they relate to the role. A well-formatted and strategically placed education section can strengthen your overall candidacy and make your resume more compelling. This step-by-step guide walks you through how to write it correctly and confidently. For a full overview of how each section works together, see our guide on how to write a resume.
Writing the Education Section
Choose the right place for the education section –
Positioning your education section correctly will make it easier for hiring managers to see what qualifies you for the role. Adjust its placement depending on your experience and the job type.
- Students or recent grads: Place education near the top, especially if it’s your strongest qualification.
- Mid-career professionals: Put education after work experience.
- Senior professionals: List education after all experience and skills.
- Functional or hybrid resumes: Place education where it highlights your strongest sections, such as near skills or certifications.
- If you’re a current student or recent graduate, place your education section directly below your name and resume summary.
- Always use a direct heading such as “Education” and keep formatting simple (no columns or decorative layouts).
- When writing this section, consider common reader questions like:
— Do I need to list high school?
— Should I include GPA or projects?
Start with your most recent or most relevant degree –
Employers want to see your highest or most relevant academic achievement first. This gives immediate context to your qualifications and avoids making them dig for your strongest credential.
- If your most relevant degree is older than your latest, it’s okay to place it first.
- Omit high school education if you’ve earned a college degree.
- Include the full name of the institution and its location (city and state).
- Example: Harvard University — Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Cambridge, MA
Write the degree name accurately –
Use precise language for your degree title to make sure it’s easy to understand or detect for hiring managers and ATS systems. This will help avoid any confusion, especially in technical or international applications.
- Use full degree titles (e.g., “Bachelor of Science in Biology”) rather than abbreviations.
- Include your major and minor, or a double major, if applicable. Example: B.A. in English & Creative Writing
- If you attended a well-known school, you may list it before the degree for emphasis.
- Include the graduation year unless it was over 5–10 years ago, in which case it’s optional.
- If your degree included a major project, thesis, or dissertation, list its title if relevant to the role. Example: Thesis: “AI-Driven Optimization of Urban Transport”
- For graduate degrees, listing fellowships or research scholarships adds weight.
Include the graduation date or expected graduation –
Graduation dates show hiring managers your timeline and status. This is especially helpful for recent grads, current students, or when the timing of your education supports your career goals.
- If still enrolled, write “Expected” before the month and year.
- Example: “Expected May 2029”
- For older degrees, omitting the year can help prevent bias.
List GPA, academic honors, and relevant extracurriculars –
This step gives hiring managers insight into your academic performance and leadership potential, especially when work experience is limited or the role values academic rigor.
- Only include GPA if it is 3.5 or above and you graduated within the last 3 years.
- Add academic awards, honor societies, scholarships, or study abroad experiences that reflect your strengths.
- Example bullets:
— GPA: 3.8, Dean’s List all semesters
— Member, Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
— Recipient, Fulbright Scholarship for International Studies
— Study Abroad: University of Florence, Italy – Spring 2026
— Treasurer, Student Marketing Association
— Research Assistant – Cognitive Psychology Lab
Add relevant coursework, projects, or assistantships –
If you lack extensive work experience, well-chosen coursework and academic projects can show domain knowledge, initiative, and alignment with the role’s requirements. These entries can also complement your resume’s skills section by giving context to your abilities.
- Include 3–6 course titles that show knowledge aligned with the role.
- You can format coursework in:
Inline style: Relevant coursework: Microeconomics, Business Writing
Bullets:
— Corporate Law
— Data Analytics - Descriptive bullets: Digital Marketing – Built campaign strategy in final project
- Mention assistantships or class-related projects that demonstrate job-specific skills.
- Include class projects, capstones, or thesis work if they relate to the job.
Mention in-progress or incomplete degrees (if relevant) –
Incomplete degrees can still strengthen your candidacy when presented accurately. The key is to show what you’ve achieved, not what you lacked.
- Phrase positively using terms like “Candidate” or “Completed X credit hours toward…”
— Example: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering – Candidate
— Example: Completed 90 credit hours toward BA in Psychology - Avoid explaining why a degree is incomplete.
Include high school only if it’s your highest level –
This step applies only if you’re still in high school or haven’t completed any college education. Otherwise, it should be left out entirely.
- You’re currently in high school or recently graduated and haven’t started college.
- Once you complete any college or postsecondary education, remove the high school entry entirely.
- As your experience grows, remove outdated coursework, GPA, or project details that no longer add value.
- Example: Lincoln High School, Boston, MA — Graduated 2029
Add continuing education or professional development –
If you’ve taken relevant courses or certifications outside of a degree program, this step shows your commitment to learning and staying updated in your field.
- Title this section: “Professional Development” or “Continuing Education”
- Include course title, platform/provider, and completion date.
Example: UX Design Certificate – Coursera (Google) – Completed April 2024 - Don’t list informal or short tutorials here—focus on structured programs.
Add certifications or relevant coursework (if needed) –
Certifications and coursework outside your main degree can add credibility, especially when pivoting to a new field or industry.
- Add 3–6 courses relevant to the job or field. These can appear below the degree entry or in a separate “Relevant Coursework” section.
- Example: Relevant Coursework: Intro to Financial Accounting, Business Statistics, Marketing Strategy
- Include relevant academic projects that relate to your career goals. This is especially helpful for recent graduates.
Adjust formatting for ATS and layout –
Even the best education section can be missed by employers if it’s not readable by ATS. Use clean, consistent formatting to make sure that your resume makes it through the software filters.
- Design your resume using a single-column layout with standard fonts and section headings for ATS compatibility, or use a resume template that follows these conventions to save time.
- Keep formatting consistent with other resume sections.
- Avoid multi-column or decorative resume templates.
Include publications or academic research (if applicable) –
For research roles or graduate-level resumes, academic publications can serve as strong evidence of expertise and experience. List them in a professional format if relevant.
- Use a professional citation format: Author(s). “Title.” Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Year, Pages.
- Example: J. Lee & T. Foster. “Machine Learning in Logistics,” Journal of AI Operations, Vol. 8(2), 2024, pp. 115–128.
- You can also include working papers or thesis summaries if they support your field.
Examples of Education on Resume
Recent Graduate Example:
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Graduated May 2029
- GPA: 3.8
- Dean’s List (4 semesters)
- President, Psychology Club
- Senior Thesis: “Cognitive Bias in Decision Making”
Current Student Example:
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Expected Graduation: May 2029
- Relevant Coursework: Algorithms, Web Development, Data Structures
- Team Project: Developed a budgeting app prototype using Python
- Member, ACM Student Chapter
Experienced Professional Example:
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Marketing
University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Chicago, IL
Graduated 2015
- Focus: Brand Strategy and Market Analytics
- Capstone: Digital Product Launch Planning
- Member, Kellogg Marketing Club
In-Progress Degree Example:
Completed 90 credit hours toward Bachelor of Arts in History
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
- Focus: American Political History and Media Narratives
GED/High School Graduate Example:
General Educational Development (GED) Certificate
Issued by State of New York – 2029
- GPA: 3.6 equivalent
- Volunteer Experience: NY Public Library Literacy Program
- Coursework: U.S. History, Algebra II, Writing Composition
Academic Research Example:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Sociology
University of California, Berkeley
Graduated 2030
- Dissertation: “Digital Activism and Social Movements”
- Published in: Journal of Contemporary Sociology (2029)
- Fellowship: National Science Foundation Research Scholar
Tips
- Keep the education section brief if you’re mid- or senior-level—15–30 words is usually enough.
- Use bullets to improve clarity for achievements, awards, or coursework.
- Match course names or project descriptions to job keywords.
- Omit graduation dates if the degree is over 5–10 years old.
- Include thesis or dissertation titles for graduate programs.
- Add links to relevant research or portfolios.
- Include more detail (projects, coursework) for early-career resumes; reduce detail as you gain experience.
- If you hold a PhD, MD, or MBA, consider listing it next to your name at the top of your resume.
Important
- Don’t exaggerate or list a degree you haven’t earned.
- Avoid adding too much detail—especially if you have a strong work history.
- Don’t include unfinished degrees unless you clarify the status and relevance.
- Avoid listing high school if you’ve completed any college or university education.
- Avoid nonstandard formatting (columns, decorative fonts, or graphics) that may confuse applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Things You’ll Need
- Degree names and abbreviations (BA, BS, MA, MBA, PhD, etc.)
- Graduation or expected dates
- Institution names and locations
- GPA (only if 3.5+ and recent)
- Honors, awards, assistantships
- Thesis or dissertation titles
- Academic projects or capstones
- Publications or research papers (if relevant)
- Honor societies, scholarships, study abroad details
- Professional development or certifications
- Research or portfolio links (if applicable)
- GED or high school diploma (only if highest level)
FAQs
Include high school only if you haven’t completed any college or postsecondary education. Once you have higher education listed, the high school entry becomes unnecessary.
You can still list an incomplete degree if it’s relevant. Use “Candidate” or “Completed X credit hours toward…” to show progress without drawing attention to the fact that it’s unfinished.
Only list your GPA if it is 3.5 or above and earned recently. If you’re mid- or senior-level, it’s usually better to skip it unless the role emphasizes academic performance.
Certifications should be placed in a separate section titled “Certifications” or “Professional Development,” especially if they were earned outside of a traditional academic program.
Education should appear near the top if you’re early in your career or the role emphasizes academic background. For experienced professionals, place it below work experience.
Yes, especially if they’re relevant to the job. Mention class projects, capstone work, or published research with a short description or proper citation.
