How To List Education On A Resume (With Examples)

Listing your education on your resume is a vital part of showing hiring managers that you not only qualify for the job, but you’re the best person for it. Job seekers often struggle to figure out where exactly they should put it on their resume, though, especially if they’re short on space.

In this article, we’ll explain how to list education on a resume and give you examples of the different ways of doing this.

Key Takeaways:

• List your highest degree first unless another degree is more relevant to the position.

• If you’re a recent graduate, put your education at the top of your resume. If you have a few years of job experience, put it at the bottom.

• Put the name of the school you attended, the degree you earned, your graduation year, and your GPA (if above 3.5) on your resume.

What to include in resume education section

Your resume education section should include the basics of your education — degree level, name, and institution name — as well as anything else that sets you apart, such as honors or awards.

• Degrees listed in reverse chronological order

• High school, college, or university name

• Educational institution location (city and state)

• Major/minor/field of study

• GPA (if above 3.5)

• Honors: cum laude (3.900 or higher), magna laude(3.700-3.899), summa laude (3.900 or higher)

• Awards or distinctions (Honor Society, President’s Award, Dean’s List, etc.)

• Scholarships (Academic, Merit, Athletic or Community Service Scholarships)

How to include your education on your resume

Place your education on your resume according to how relevant it is to the job you’re applying for.

The placement and layout of your resume’s education section depends on your experience level, how recently you were a student, and what sort of role you’re applying for.

Here are some principles to follow when listing your education section on your resume depending on which category you fall into:

1. Student or recent graduate. If you are attending or recently graduated from high school, college, or a vocational program, put your education section near the top of your resume, after your contact information and a resume objective or summary statement.

   Since you will be applying for an entry-level job and have very little relevant job experience to show, you want to showcase your education as the first thing recruiters see.

   The exception to this is if you’re a college student or recent graduate who has some impressive internships and other work experiences under your belt — in this case, it’s probably best to open with your professional experience instead of your education.

   Here’s an example of an education section on a current student’s resume:

   Education

   Kansas State University
   Manhattan, Kansas
   Bachelor of Science in Biology, Pre-Med
   Expected May 2022
   4.0 GPA
   Relevant Coursework: Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Research Methods

   Berthoud High School
   Berthoud, Colorado
   May 2020
   4.0 GPA
   summa cum laude

   Note the “relevant coursework” section — since most of your experience comes from your classes at this point in your career, you can mention the ones you’ve taken that are most relevant to the position you’re applying for as well.

2. College graduates with some experience. Once you have your college degree and some experience with jobs in your industry, you can list your education after your professional experience section.

   Here’s an example of how the previous example of a resume education section would change once you’ve graduated and gained some experience:

   Education

   Johns Hopkins University
   Baltimore, Maryland
   Master of Science in Biotechnology
   May 2024

   Kansas State University
   Manhattan, Kansas
   Bachelor of Science in Biology, Pre-Med
   May 2022
   summa cum laude
   Honor Society
   Top 10 Senior

3. Seasoned job seekers. Once you’ve been working for several years, put your education section near the bottom of your resume, usually between your professional experience and skills sections. The exception is if you’re applying to academic or research positions.

   Seasoned employees don’t necessarily need to include their honors and awards in their education section, as your work in your career speaks more powerfully to your work ethic and success. Here’s an example of this:

   Education

   Johns Hopkins University
   Baltimore, Maryland
   Master of Science in Biotechnology
   May 2024

   Kansas State University
   Manhattan, Kansas
   Bachelor of Science in Biology, Pre-Med
   May 2022

Resume education section template and examples

To create a winning resume, you need to know how to write an effective education section and what information to include in it.

To make it easy, here is a template of what to include in the education section of your resume along with some examples below for different situations.

1. Resume education section template:

School or University
City, State
Degree Earned / Minor (Most recent degree listed first)
Date Earned or Expected to Earn (Month and year)
GPA (if over 3.5)
Honors/Awards

2. Example of education section with a 4-year degree from college:

   Western Illinois University
   Macomb, Illinois
   Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice / Minor in Psychology
   December 2018
   Graduated magna cum laude
   Cumulative GPA of 3.95
   Dean’s List all semesters

3. Example of education section with two degrees:

   Northwestern University
   Evanston, Illinois
   Master of Business Administration May 2020
   GPA of 3.75

   The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
   Champaign, Illinois
   BS in Business, Business Administration May 2016
   GPA of 3.8

4. Example of education section with a future graduation date:

   DePaul University
   Chicago, Illinois Bachelor of Arts in Communications, degree anticipated December 2020
   Current GPA of 3.65

5. Example of education section with no graduation date to avoid age discrimination:

   University of Chicago
   Chicago, Illinois
   Bachelor of Business Administration

6. Example of education section with a recent high school diploma:

   Burlington High School
   Burlington, Iowa
   2016-2020
   President of Student Council

Example resume objective statements with educational experience

If your education plays a vital role in your eligibility for a position, mention it in your resume objective statement.

Here are two example resume objective statements that incorporate educational experience:

1. High school graduate example resume objective statement

   Hard-working high school graduate with one year experience in retail seeks a job in customer service. Possess strong communication skills, attention to detail, and sales experience.

2. Undergraduate example resume objective statement

   Highly motivated Bachelor of Arts graduate with a 3.5 GPA seeking a role with a Public Relations firm. Brings strong interpersonal skills and proven experience directing media campaigns.

Resume education section tips

Follow these tips to make your resume’s education section look great for hiring managers and recruiters:

• Read the job description carefully. Specifically, look for any “requirements” or “education” sections in the job posting. Most jobs don’t specify much more than “bachelor’s degree required” or something similar, but some jobs do require certain certifications or degrees.

  If you’re going for a role like this, say in health care or pharmaceutical research, you may want to lead with these important educational credentials to make sure the hiring manager knows you’re a suitable candidate right off the bat.

• Don’t lie. Educational background checks are one of the easiest things employers do to verify your information. Being caught in a lie is a surefire way to remove yourself from the candidate pool.

• Start strong. You should almost always lead with your highest level of education and work your way backward. The only caveat to this is when your highest degree isn’t relevant to the position you’re applying for, but a more recent, less prestigious certification is relevant. In that case, relevancy wins out and you should lead with that certification.

• Don’t list multiple schools for one degree. If you hopped around a few times to get some credits here and there, don’t go writing an autobiography about it. Keep things simple; just list where you ended up getting the degree from.

• Consider breaking down your education section. If you have a lot of impressive collegiate or post-graduate experience under your belt and it’s all relevant to the job you’re applying for, you can start thinking about breaking down your education section into subsections. Things like “projects,” “continuous education,” “awards,” etc. can all make good subheaders.

  Note that you shouldn’t be so extensive with an education section unless it really does trump the value of your professional experience section.

Resume education section FAQ

1. Should you spell out your degree?

   Yes, you should spell out your degree. Rather than put B.S. or B.A., it’s better to spell out your degree.

2. Do you use an apostrophe in your degree?

   You use an apostrophe in your degree if you say master’s degree or bachelor’s degree. If you use the word of, then you don’t use an apostrophe. For example, Master of Business Administration or Bachelor of Arts.

3. Should you include your high school graduation information?

   If you are a recent high school graduate who has not earned a college degree, then list your high school education. However, if you have earned a college degree, then it’s recommended you omit your high school information.

4. Should you include the year you graduated from college?

   Yes, you should include the year you graduated from college unless you’re over 40 years old. Job seekers aged 19-39 can list their college graduation dates. But after you hit 40 years old, it’s recommended to drop the date so hiring managers don’t discriminate against you unfairly.

5. What if you never graduated?

   If you attended college for a couple of years but did not complete your degree, you can still list the credit hours you received there. Put the school name, how many hours you completed, and the subjects you studied. If you intend to finish your degree, put what it is, where you’re getting it from, and the date you expect to receive it.

6. Should you list your anticipated graduation date?

   Yes, you should list your anticipated graduation date. If you are currently attending college and have an anticipated graduation date you should include that on your resume.

7. What if you didn’t make the Dean’s list all semesters? Can you still include it?

   While it may be tempting to show off the one semester that you reached the Dean’s list, it’s better to include that honor on your resume only if you made it all semesters you attended school. This will keep your education section more streamlined.

8. Should you list advanced degrees that you are pursuing?

   Yes, you should list the advanced degrees that you are pursuing. Employers love to see when applicants are investing in their further education. Showing that you are pursuing a master’s or a doctorate can help explain a job gap too.

9. Should you embellish things in your education section?

   No, you shouldn’t embellish things in your education section. Lying about your education or work experience on a resume is a bad idea. Many employers will verify your college degree. If an employee checked your background and found that out to be not true, you would immediately be terminated.

10. Should you include education in your cover letter?

    You should only include education in your cover letter if it is highly relevant to what makes you the best candidate for the job. Most of your resume cover letter should be focused on your relevant skills and work experience, but you can mention aspects of your education and how they would translate to job-related skills.

    For example, if you have a bachelor’s degree in Communications with a focus on Mass Communications, you could mention in your cover letter the transferable skills you gained during your college television production experience and how it applies to the TV production studio job that you are applying for.

Final thoughts

Today’s job market is competitive. Leverage these tips and tricks and write a resume that gets you noticed and lands you a job interview. Whether you’re a new graduate looking for your first job, your education is your biggest asset. If you are a seasoned veteran looking to make your next career move, your education can help you stand out.

So follow the simple steps outlined above to create an effective resume education section that gets you one step closer to landing the job you want.

References

1. Purdue Online Writing Lab – Education Section

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

Expert

Don Pippin, MHRM, CPRW, CDCS

Don Pippin is an executive and HR leader for Fortune 50 and 500 companies and startups. In 2008, Don launched area|Talent with a focus on helping clients identify their brand. As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Digital Career Strategist, and Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Don guides clients through career transitions.