how to write a resume for college graduates

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College Graduate resume examples & templates

Choosing the right resume format for a new graduate 

Include your contact information, make use of a summary, outline your college graduate work experience: a strong report card , including the most relevant skills for a recent graduate position , detail your education & relevant certifications as a recent graduate, pick the right resume layout and design for a new graduate resume.

Job hunting as a college graduate can often feel like a competitive sport. When you’re up against hundreds of other fresh graduates with the same diploma in hand, your resume needs to be sharp and professional to stand out and land your perfect entry-level position. Whether you hold a degree in computer science, business, or foreign languages, your resume serves as your professional toolkit—an essential resource for presenting the perfect blend of skills and experiences to secure your foothold in the world of your chosen industry.

As a recent college graduate, first impressions matter, and potential employers form judgments based on the initial glimpse of your resume. The challenge for recent graduates is to showcase what sets them apart, both academically and professionally via internships and extracurricular experiences. If you're ready to elevate your resume game, we're here to help you write your way to success in your entry-level job search.

Resume guide for a college graduate

Land your first job after graduation with Resume.io. Our guides and resume examples cover over 500 professions, and our resume builder makes creating a compelling resume easier than ever.

This resume guide and corresponding college graduate resume example will cover the following:

How to write a college graduate resume

• Choosing the right resume format for college graduate
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your college graduate experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right resume design/layout
• What job prospects and salary you can expect as a college graduate

To get started writing the best resume for a recent college graduate, you’ll need to understand what sections to include. Your resume should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Your new grad resume is your initial introduction to potential employers and serves as the gateway for them to get to know you better. Your objective is to show hiring managers what makes you unique and what experiences you’ve gained beyond your degree.

To construct a compelling narrative, start by thoroughly reviewing the job description. Ask yourself a few questions to help you determine the company’s ideal candidate:

• Is this role suitable for a recent grad?
• What is the work environment like?
• What is the corporate culture of this company?
• What kind of tasks and responsibilities are associated with the position?
• How large is the team you might be working with?
• What problem does the company want the person working in this position to solve?

While this may seem like a mundane exercise, understanding the nuances of the prospective workplace allows you to tailor your resume to position yourself as the ideal candidate. Identify the employer's objectives and illustrate how your skills and experiences align seamlessly with their goals—this is the key element that sets your application apart.

On your resume, aim to emphasize achievements rather than just responsibilities. While many recent graduates possess fundamental skills, can you showcase instances where you went beyond the basics? Have you contributed to the success of previous professional endeavors like internships? How have you enhanced the overall experience for those you worked with? Let your resume reflect your track record of success in your college and extracurricular activities.

Consider the ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

If you’re a recent college grad, you’ll likely be applying to positions using online application portals. You should be aware of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Algorithms built into these portals that scan resumes for specific keywords outlined in the job description. Resumes that don’t rank high enough can get filtered out before ever being reviewed by a hiring manager. 

Follow these steps to increase your chances of making it to the employer’s desk:

• Closely align your resume with the employer's language, incorporating keywords strategically, especially in the summary and skills section.
• Keep your resume format clear and straightforward to facilitate easy scanning by ATS, avoiding excessive graphics or elements that may confuse the system.
• Don’t engage in keyword stuffing—adding misleading, hidden, or excessive keywords on your resume just to beat the bots. Hiring managers frown upon this practice.

Selecting the best format for your recent graduate resume largely hinges on your level of professional experience. Whenever possible, we recommend the reverse chronological resume format with a focus on the employment history section as this is the format hiring managers expect to see from professional candidates. If your work history is limited, you can include internships and college jobs (related to your field of study) as part of your employment history. 

If your work history is limited or predominantly consists of jobs outside of your field of study, the functional resume format could be advantageous. This format places a greater spotlight on your skill set, allowing you to highlight your competencies and capabilities instead of past roles. It can be a good option for fresh grads or those transitioning to a new field.

For a head start, check our resume examples tailored to the reverse chronological format to guide you through the process. You can easily modify them for your own experience inside of our intuitive resume builder .

For more ideas, inspiration and direction, check out our hundreds of resume samples in categories like retail , hospitality and administration, and those for the following education-related occupations.

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Your contact information is an essential part of your fresh grad resume, but one that many recent graduates get wrong. Your contact details should be prominently displayed in your resume header so that potential employers can easily reach you to set up an interview. Here are the essential pieces of information:

• Full name and professional title . As a fresh grad, it’s OK to use the professional title of the entry-level role you are applying to.
• Phone number . This should be a number you check regularly and is accessible during business hours. Make sure you have a working voicemail so a hiring manager can leave you a message.
• Email address . You’d be surprised how many recent graduates are still using silly email addresses. Your email address should be professional and include some part of your name. Make a new email account once you graduate as you should not include a .edu address on a job application.
• LinkedIn or portfolio website . An up-to-date LinkedIn profile is one of the best ways to signal to a potential employer that you take your career seriously. In some fields such as design or journalism, you will also want to include a link to your professional portfolio website.

Your contact information is key to landing an interview and the job. Make sure it is easy to find and easy to read.

• Jamie Johnson
• Research assistant
• 000-080-0600
• [email protected]
• Jamie “Da Best” Johnson
• Recent graduate

On a recent college graduate resume, a well-written summary is a superpower. In just a few concise sentences, you have the opportunity to present yourself as an outstanding candidate who has both the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to contribute to their organization and enhance the overall workplace experience.

A well-crafted summary extends beyond a mere listing of your previous roles—that information can be detailed further down your resume. The primary aim of the summary is to spotlight your skills and your professional personality which makes you a rising star. Make sure to write with energy and use verbs such as "applied, implemented, optimized, increased, and led," and quantify your accomplishments and present yourself as motivated and responsible.

Your summary should emphasize your strongest skills as a recent graduate and explain why you are the perfect fit for the specific job to which you are applying. Again, refer to the job description to develop a picture of the company’s ideal candidate. Embrace your distinctive strengths, and allow your summary to paint a vivid picture of the value you bring.

Keep in mind that hiring managers are busy people. Your summary is your initial opportunity to capture their attention and encourage them to read the rest of your resume. Keep it concise, focused, and positive to show why you’re the candidate the company has been looking for.

You can find our resume example summaries for recent graduates below:

Motivated and dynamic marketer with a recent Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, equipped with a solid foundation of key digital marketing principles and a proactive mindset. Possesses excellent analytical and problem-solving skills honed through rigorous coursework and internships, contributing to successful project outcomes. Eager to apply academic knowledge and practical experiences to a corporate role, bringing a fresh perspective and dedication to achieving organizational goals.

Motivated and creative graphic designer with a recent degree in fine arts, with a passion for visual storytelling and innovative design concepts. Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, with a keen eye for aesthetics and attention to detail. A proactive and collaborative team player, I have successfully translated conceptual ideas into visually appealing designs during internships and coursework projects. Eager to contribute a fresh perspective and creativity to a dynamic creative team, leveraging a blend of academic knowledge and practical skills.

Energetic recent graduate seeking a part-time role in the retail sector. Holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, providing a solid foundation in customer service, inventory management, and business operations. Possesses strong communication and interpersonal skills, cultivated through coursework and previous experiences. Excited to apply business principles and enthusiasm to contribute to the success of a major fashion retailer.

Your recent academic journey is a valuable asset for potential employers but it can’t be the only experience listed on your resume. To compete among other grads and established professionals, you’ll need to create a strong employment history section tailored to the specific job you're applying for.

Begin by highlighting your most recent academic experiences at the top and work backward, capturing your educational background over the last few years. We recommend finding at least three “professional” experiences which can include student jobs, leadership positions, internships, and any other relevant experiences that directly align with the position you are pursuing. 

For each role, create a subheading with the job title, employer or school name, dates worked, and location. Then, construct 3-4 concise, results-based bullet points outlining your responsibilities and achievements in that role. Begin each point with an action verb and aim to incorporate quantifiable data and statistics whenever applicable. This structured presentation ensures that your resume will make you look like a qualified candidate, even as a recent grad.

Who works for whom?

One mistake commonly found on new graduate resumes is the sense that the employer’s job opening would be a big opportunity for the recent grad. When writing your resume, remember that your goal is to show how your skills and experience would benefit the employer and not how getting the job would be a great stepping stone in your career. Even if you don’t have much professional experience yet, your work ethic and fresh ideas can be a vital asset to a company.

You can find even more sample sentences in our college resume example below:

Marketing Intern at LA Athletic Company, Los Angeles  June 2020 - August 2020 

• Supported 5-person marketing team on seasonal email campaign which resulted in 2x higher than average open rate.
• Conducted market research on competitors by synthesizing data from 20 sources to inform 2021 strategy.

Waitress/Hostess at Champions Sports Bar and Grill, Los Angeles  September 2017 - March 2020 

• Ensured high quality customer service leading to various positive online reviews and comments.
• Trained 3 new team members on opening and closing procedures resulting in higher restaurant efficiency.

Your skills section is a crucial step in beating the automated resume scanners and getting reviewed by a hiring manager. While this section may seem like a simple list, it’s important to craft it carefully based on the job description and include a mix of hard and soft skills.

First, let’s look at the difference between hard and soft skills. Hard skills encompass concrete, technical proficiencies specific to your college degree and field of study, such as data analysis, programming languages, or project management. Conversely, soft skills involve interpersonal qualities and attributes contributing to effective collaboration and communication. These may include adaptability, communication, leadership, and teamwork.

As a recent college graduate, your resume should strike a balance, showcasing both the technical proficiency (hard skills) learned in your coursework and relevant to your field and the interpersonal strengths (soft skills) crucial for effective professional interactions. Make use of the employer’s exact language from the job description when presenting your skills, ensuring alignment with the employer's expectations. For instance, if the job posting emphasizes "team collaboration," incorporate this exact phrase in your skills section rather than using a more general term like "team player." This precision not only optimizes your resume for automated scans but also resonates more effectively with hiring managers.

You can find our adaptable skills resume sample below.

Key Skills and Proficiencies 

As a recent grad, your education is one of your strongest selling points. This is also the only time in your career where your education section can sit on top of your experience section. Make sure to list your degrees in reverse chronological order (most recent to oldest) and include the degree name, school, dates attended, and location. You should also include one or two bullet points with academic achievements that are relevant to the job you are applying for.

The education section is also the best place to add memberships, organizations, clubs, scholarships, and certifications you hold. Check out our adaptable education resume sample below.

Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, University of Southern California, Los Angeles  September 2019 - May 2021 

• Relevant Coursework: Marketing Research Methods, Consumer Behavior Analysis, Advertising Campaigns

Your professional presentation as a fresh grad extends beyond the writing of your resume to the layout and design of your application. To create a strong first impression, you’ll need to pay attention to the spacing, fonts , and color used on your resume. As with your writing, your layout should be tailored to the job you are applying for. A professionally designed resume template makes it easy to test out different styles.

Above all, remember to keep a balance of white space to text on your resume so that your resume is easy to digest at a glance. Make sure your name appears in a larger font size and your contact information is prominently displayed in your header. We recommend choosing just one accent color and font style and using bold or italic text for emphasis. Remember, when in doubt, less is more. A dialed-down resume won’t impact your chances of landing the job the way an eccentric, colorful one will.

Key takeaways for your college graduate resume

• Your fresh graduate resume is the key to unlocking your first career opportunities.
• While writing your resume, make sure to think about how your skills and education can serve an employer’s needs.
• Your education section is a great place to add clubs, scholarships, and academic achievements.
• Don’t overlook your resume layout. Our adaptable recent grad resume sample can help you get started.

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5 Recent College Graduate Resume Examples for 2024

• Recent College Grad
• Recent College Grad 2
• Recent College Grad 3
• Recent College Grad 4
• Recent College Grad 5
• Recent College Grad Resume Writing 101

As a recent college graduate, the world is your oyster. With your college days in the rearview mirror, it’s time to put your skills to the test and jumpstart your career.

If the prospect of job hunting with limited work experience seems daunting, you’re not alone. College grads around the globe face the same dilemma— what to put on your resume and how to write a cover letter if you’re still new to the professional world?

Don’t fret—you’ve got boundless ambition, and we’ve got the secret resume tips plus a resume builder to turn that into your dream role! Check out our five recent college graduate resume templates and expert guidance.

Recent College Graduate Resume

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• The more the merrier! Don’t shy away from adding as many courses as you’ve completed in your recent college graduate resume. However, keep in mind that it’s best to add ones that directly align with the role you’re applying to.

Recent College Graduate 2 Resume

Recent College Graduate 3 Resume

Recent College Graduate 4 Resume

Recent College Graduate 5 Resume

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What Matters Most: Your Skills & Early Experience

Your skills are your greatest assets as you begin to navigate your career path, so it’s essential to choose the best ones to put in the spotlight. Make sure they’re highly relevant to your niche. 

If you’ve majored in communication, discuss your SEO prowess and SalesForce expertise. A computer science grad may highlight something else, like Tableau or Python. What do these drastically different skills have in common? They’re all very niche-specific. 

Focus on the tools you know how to use, such as Adobe Creative Suite, and skills relevant to the job you’re applying for, such as market analysis. 

Here’s what a communication major might put on their resume— adjust it to match your industry .

9 best recent college graduate skills

• CRM Management
• SEO Optimization
• Microsoft Office
• Market Analysis
• Email Campaigns
• Data Visualization

Sample recent college graduate work experience bullet points

You’ve worked your way through college, or you’re jumping head-first into your first job. Either way, measurable impact is your best friend. This is how you show recruiters your accomplishments in a tangible, eye-catching way.

Even if your experience doesn’t seem relevant to the role you want, you can still show recruiters skills and success that transcend any job. Besides paid jobs, discuss college projects, internships, volunteering, or even hobbies and interests , and focus on your accomplishments.

Here’s how to use measurable impact to your advantage:

• Assisted over 100 customers a day by providing recommendations and offering additional products, surpassing daily sales goals by 21% on average
• Started and managed social media profiles for a college study organization, increasing follower count to over 700 in 6 months
• Led a team of 6 students in a marketing project, developing a new marketing strategy for a small business that increased revenue by 9%
• Coordinated fundraising events for a local non-profit, raising over $3,000 within a month

Top 5 Tips for Your Recent College Graduate Resume

• If you need some more inspiration, our resume samples can give you a boost.
• You may have a clear career path, but it’s okay if you don’t. A college degree opens many doors—you don’t have to stick to applying to jobs that fit your major. Roles that often hire graduates regardless of their field of study include customer success managers, recruiters, and account executives.
• Don’t fear blank spaces—a cluttered resume often ends in the bin. Focus on technical skills, such as your knowledge of programming languages like Python, education, and key accomplishments from previous roles or internships.
• Tweak your experience and skills sections for each job you apply for. Don’t talk about Word if you’re applying to be a junior data scientist—focus on Python and R. You’ll get more responses and find jobs that suit you better. 
• You’ve spent all of that time in college studying hard, so don’t be afraid to brag! Mention your GPA if you’re proud of it, and include relevant courses and certifications, such as the HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification, PMI, or GAIQ.

A resume objective won’t hurt if you have a clear career path in mind, but it’s not necessary. If you include it, make it more about what you bring to the company than your personal dreams. For example, mention how you want to utilize your experience in project management to maintain high employee retention and customer satisfaction.

Leverage your experience from internships, volunteering, short summer jobs, or even school projects to show off your skills. Don’t forget measurable impact: recruiters will love hearing that you “led a team of 5 to complete an Instagram campaign with stories and daily posts” instead of “completed a social media project.”

Pick a resume template that’s clear and concise. Put your contact information, education, major, GPA, and certifications in a visible spot. List the most essential skills for the job and work-adjacent experience.

The New Grad Resume Guide: Everything You Need to Get Started

How to approach a resume as a new graduate, with everything you need to get you started.

Ready to show your future employer what you can do?

There’s no better way to do it than with a neat, concise, strongly written resume that clearly lays out your accomplishments, accolades, and skills for competitive employment. As a recent grad looking for work, there are certain attributes you’ll want to prioritize on your resume, especially if applying to an entry level position that focuses heavily on educational requirements and graduation dates.

What your resume needs

• Personal information : This includes your full name, address, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile link (if you have one). Make sure the email you include is professional.
• A strong objective.
• An updated education section : You might have written a resume before for a part- or full-time job while in college. For those of you who have, this might be the first time you add that bachelor’s degree to your resume.
• Relevant work experience .
• Honors and achievements : Because you want to sell the best version of you that you can!

Picture what you want your resume to look like. Having a format in mind will make it easier to organize your information in a concise, attractive way. You can find free resume templates everywhere from Google Drive to Microsoft Word, or you can create your own using Canva or with the Adobe Creative Suite. You can even buy unique resume and cover letter templates on Etsy!

No matter which design you choose, your personal information should always go at the top in first name last name format. Your name should serve as the title, so to speak, and is generally bolded or in a larger font when compared to the rest of the text. Include the rest of your personal information below. Don’t forget to include any relevant portfolio links if you’re applying for a creative job.

The objective

A typical entry-level resume may include either an objective or summary. However, summaries are best saved for applicants who have more extensive work experience. Objectives are best suited for new grads and anyone starting their career.

Objectives are formal in tone, and should be written specifically for each employer. Use these one to three sentences, max, to convey what you are seeking in a professional role.

For example:

Dedicated nurse in top 5% of graduating class seeking an opportunity to work at Allies’ Pediatric Nursing Unit, fostering healthy and stable recovery utilizing advanced knowledge of human growth and development.

Notice how much weight a strong objective can pull. It should describe your value, attributes, educational accolades, and desire to work at the particular company you’re working for. When applying to several jobs, you must remember to tweak this every time.

Your education

The education section of a resume is standard. But, if you’re a recent grad, you’ll want to pay closer attention to this section to include your academic achievements. Note that you should place it right below your objective, listing your bachelor’s degree and any other relevant certificates. Do not include your high school information.

This section should include:

• The full name of your college or university
• Your degree
• Dates in school, including the date of graduation
• GPA (if 3.0 or higher)

Nebraska BSN University

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Aug. 2010 - May 2015

Honors and achievements

It’s worthwhile to note where your honors and achievements should go.

If you have one or two great achievements you want to list, it may be best to include it within your education section. But if you have several achievements, especially if they can help you get the job, keep it as a separate section to avoid convoluting the education section.

No special formatting is required. Feel free to include any of the following:

• Any societies you were a member of
• Any honors you earned upon graduation (e.g. Cum Laude)
• Any leadership activities you participated in

Your work experience

Intern , volunteer, full-time employee… whichever it may be, include as many relevant experiences as possible. Relevance is the key, though. You might be tempted to fill this space with whichever experience you have just to add to your resume.

But if you don’t have any relevant experience… It’s okay. Analyze which transferable skills can apply to the job. For example; if you volunteered at a hospital that required data entry and you familiarized yourself with Microsoft Excel, include that.

Be precise in how you articulate your experiences, too. Keep your statements about your experiences and skills short, impactful, and actionable. When listing them, include the place of employment, your title/position, dates employed, and accomplishments for each, in descending order.

Here is an example for someone with transferable skills applying to a nursing position:

ADDT Homeless Shelter and Clinic, Feb. 2017 - Jan. 2019

Soup Kitchen Volunteer

• Helped serve thousands of patients, with dietary restrictions, food suited for their needs and recommended by their doctor
• Participated in biweekly outreach to promote free medical services
• Ideated the transition from soup kitchen to restaurant to improve patient mood when dining on site

As you can see, this applicant is highlighting their customer service, health, initiative, and leadership knowledge and skills in an exciting way. Include about three to four experiences that yield results (e.g., an idea coming into fruition or how many times you helped a company succeed), and you’ll have a strong work experience section on your resume!

Additional sections

If you haven’t filled up your one-page resume by now, consider adding these sections:

• Skills : Does the job ask for your expertise in Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office? Articulate your skills with these programs by listing them in a skills section. You can also include soft skills such as communication, time management, problem-solving, etc. You can also include any additional languages you speak.
• References : Do you have a great recommendation from your internship supervisor? List them as a reference! Though, don’t feel compelled to write a reference section if you’re straight out of school.

Once you’ve got your resume set, make sure to upload it through Handshake. If your college has a career services center, you may have access to feedback for your resumes and cover letters, too!

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College Graduate Resume Examples and Writing Tips

What to Include in Your Resume

Resume writing tips for college grads, college graduate resume template, college graduate resume example, more college resume samples.

If you're a recent college graduate, you might not have much work experience. However, you can still write a strong resume that will get you hired. By emphasizing unpaid internships, volunteer work, and positions in school organizations, you can show you have the skills needed to succeed in the workforce.

Read below for tips on writing a strong college graduate resume. Also see below for a resume sample for a recent college graduate.

Begin with a resume summary.  A  resume summary  (sometimes called a “summary of qualifications” or “qualifications profile”) is a statement (either narrative or formatted in bullets) at the top of a resume that immediately attracts a hiring manager’s attention to the skills you would bring to their organization.

The summary statement should be placed immediately below your name and contact information. 

Use this section to demonstrate that you have the qualifications that are emphasized in the job listing of the position you’re applying for.

Use keywords.  To make your resume stand out, use words from the job listing in your resume. You might include these  keywords  in your resume summary, your descriptions of work experiences, and/or your section headings. For example, if the listing says the company is seeking a candidate who is “tech-savvy,” you might include a section called “Technological Skills.” Again, use words that clearly link your resume to the job listing.

Mention a high GPA.  At this point, at the beginning of your career, it’s a good strategy to include your GPA on your resume if it is 3.5 or above. You should also include any academic awards (Dean’s List, scholarships, etc.). After you’ve racked up three or four years of work experience, though, you can remove this information from your resume, replacing it with examples of professional achievements.

Emphasize your soft skills.  “ Soft skills ” like teamwork , leadership, or good communication talents are always a selling point with employers. For many entry-level positions, they can be as important as job-specific  hard skills . Describe how, during your college years, you have led or contributed to team projects, either in the classroom or as a member of campus or extracurricular organizations. Additional soft skills that are good to mention include: active  listening skills ,  “people” skills , decision-making, and self-motivation.

Emphasize education.  As a recent college graduate, your education is one of your strongest assets. Include an  “Education” section  towards the top of your resume. Include the college you attended, your graduation date, and your major and minor. If you have a strong  GPA , include that as well. You might also include any study abroad experiences. Most employers see a well-traveled student as a plus.

Highlight any related experience.  If you have any work experience, include this. However, you can also include any other relevant experience. This might include volunteer experience, unpaid internships, or positions in school organizations. Even if these are unpaid positions, they can still display the qualities that will make you a strong candidate for a job opening.

Use resume examples.  When writing your first resume out of college, it can be hard to know where to start. Examples can give you ideas on how to structure your resume and what kind of language to include. Check out these student resume samples, as well as the sample below. However, make sure to always revise an example to fit your own background and experience.

Proofread and edit.  Thoroughly  proofread your resume  for spelling and grammar errors before submitting it. Also make sure your format is consistent: for example, you should use the same size bullet points throughout your resume. Ask a friend, family member, or college career counselor to read through your resume as well.

This is an example of a resume for a college graduate. Download the resume template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online) or see below for more examples.

Here's a text version of the resume example to review.

College Graduate Resume Example (Text Version)

Susan Quigley New York, NY 123-555-8910 Cell: 555-555-1234 susan.quigley@abcu.edu 

CAREER OBJECTIVE

Soon-to-graduate honors college student, fluent in Spanish and with several years of teaching and tutoring the language to adults and students, seeks a position as a translator at a top East Coast firm.

ABC UNIVERSITY, New York, NY Bachelor of Arts in Education , May 2022 Double Majors: English and Latin American Studies; Minor: Spanish; Overall GPA: 3.875

• Honors and dean’s list every semester.
• Studied abroad in Bogota, Colombia, January-May 2020.
• Served as president of the school Spanish club; tutored nearly two dozen students in Spanish.
• Received three “Best Student Awards.”

RELATED EXPERIENCE

CERVANTES LIBRARY, New York, NY Library Assistant , September 2019-Present Perform general administrative duties to support professional staff and assist students with research.

• Designed a presentation, published to the university website, outlining how to most effectively use all of ABC University’s facilities when undertaking a research project.
• Received award for “Outstanding Student Employee of the Year” due to excellent customer service and research skills.

CALLES Y SUEÑOS CULTURAL SPACE, Bogota, Columbia Intern , Spring 2029 Helped design and implement programs in which community-based artists traveled to schools to work with children, teaching them about expression through art.

• Assisted teaching complimentary English lessons to community members of all ages.

QUEENS COMMUNITY LIBRARY, Queens, NY English Tutor/Volunteer , January 2018-May 2018 Assisted students in writing and proofreading essays, utilizing rhetorical devices.

• Cataloged thousands of donated books, CDs, and DVDs in Excel database.
• Started a weekly book club group to help elementary students learn basic Spanish.

Other Experience:

Summer Counselor, NY Arts Camp, Catskill, NY • Trombonist, All-State Wind Ensemble • Swim Team Assistant Coach, YMCA, Brooklyn, NY • Editor-in-Chief, ABC University Student Newspaper

Review more resume examples for college students and recent graduates , listed by type of position and type of job.

How to Get Your Resume Noticed

• A resume summary, which briefly lists your qualifications and soft skills, will spark a hiring manager’s immediate interest in your candidacy.
• Emphasize the skills that are requested in the “Preferred Qualifications” section of the job announcement.
• Highlight your achievements, including significant college and extracurricular accomplishments.
• Carefully edit your resume to correct grammatical, spelling, and formatting errors.

How to Write a College Resume That’ll Get You Hired (Plus an Example!)

When you’re in college, a strong resume is one of the first things that helps you land an internship or part-time job. It represents you to employers when you can’t be in the room (yet!) and is essential to convincing them to call you for an interview based on your previous experiences and current skills. Whether you have a resume you used for college applications or are starting completely from scratch, putting effort into your resume now gives you a higher likelihood of success and sets a solid foundation, making it a breeze to update in the future as you—and it—evolve.

If you feel like you have nothing to put on your resume, don’t worry. After advising hundreds of students on these documents, I know you have more to offer than you think! I frequently meet first-year college students who believe they can’t include many of the things they did before college on a resume. You absolutely can—and you should—until those get outranked by all the other awesome things you’ll accumulate over the course of your college career. Even if you’re a freshly minted high school graduate, you have valuable skills and experiences employers want, and this guide can help you showcase them.

Read on to learn about what goes on your resume, how to format it, and what else you can do to ensure it makes you shine—and to see our college resume example.

What Goes on a College Resume

In setting up your resume, you should use a few core sections to help you easily lay out all the information a recruiter is looking for when they make quick decisions about whether or not to interview you. (And yes, recruiters do skim, reportedly spending an average of 7.4 seconds making their first pass on a resume, so you want to make a good impression fast).

Contact Info

It’s traditional to start with your basic contact information at the top of your document including your name, email, phone, and the city and state where you live. Use your full name (and maybe bump up the font a point or two because you’re a big deal!), and if you have a nickname you prefer, you can include it in parentheses.

Use your college email as it’s typically professional and establishes your educational brand. Now is also a good time to check that your phone’s voicemail greeting is up-to-date. In case a recruiter calls while you’re busy—or you don’t recognize the number and swipe it to voicemail—this greeting could be their first impression of you. Even recording something as simple as, “ Hello, you’ve reached Christine. Please leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible, ” can help them feel confident they reached the right person and that you’re able to present yourself professionally.

Your physical location can be based either on your school’s address or your permanent home address. If you’re targeting opportunities in one location or the other, include the most local address so they know you’re familiar with the area (and likely won’t have a problem finding housing).

Pro tip: Save space by listing your email, phone, and location all on one line. If you have a LinkedIn profile , you can add that in your contact information section as well. The result might look like this:

Karla Perez Stillwater, MN ∙ (000) 765-4321 ∙ [email protected] ∙ www.linkedin.com/krperez

For college students, education should be right below the contact information on your resume. This immediately orients your reader to the fact that you’re a current student and conveys important information, like what you’re studying. What you include in your education section can also demonstrate that you’re a good match for the opportunity you’re targeting, increasing your chances of a recruiter call.

The basics you should always include are:

• Your school’s name
• Your expected graduation date
• The type of degree you’re pursuing: For example, you might write “Bachelor of Arts” or “Associate’s Degree.”
• Any majors, minors, or concentrations: If you’re applying to opportunities in these areas, this will help an employer see you already have some knowledge and a motivation for working with them.

Depending on your personal strengths and what jobs you’re applying for, you might also want to include:

• Your GPA: But only if it’s strong. (It’s usually good to include 3.5 and above.) If you stumbled through some of the general requirements you had to take but nailed all the courses in your major, consider adding two GPAs—your cumulative GPA and your major GPA—to show you have stronger grades in your chosen discipline.
• Standardized test scores: If you’re applying to opportunities in quantitative fields, like finance or consulting, you might consider listing standardized test scores like the SAT or ACT.
• Relevant coursework: Selecting and highlighting three to five classes that match closely with the specific opportunity you’re applying to is a really fast way to tailor your resume and make you a more attractive match. For example, if you’re targeting an internship in computer science, you can list your “Introduction to Python” and “Introduction to Algorithms” classes.
• Other colleges or universities you’ve attended: If you’re a transfer student or you studied abroad at another university, adding these schools can signal that you have other strengths, such as cultural awareness or language skills, or give you a chance to highlight key classes you took elsewhere.
• Your high school: If you’re shooting for an opportunity local to your high school or went somewhere well-known, then you may want to keep that as your last entry for educational experience. Otherwise, high school is the first entry to cut when you’re short on space. It has gotten you to where you need to be, but the focus should now be on the higher-level degree you’re working on and you should dedicate as much space as you need to boast about all of your amazing college accomplishments!

Here is an example of what a completed “Education” section might look like:

Candidate for Bachelor of Arts degree ,   St. Olaf College , Northfield, MN Double Major: Political Science and Economics ∙ Expected Graduation: May 2023 ∙ GPA: 3.7 Relevant Coursework: Introduction to Political Theory, Politics and Human Rights, Global Interdependence

The experience section is where the real substance of your resume lives. This is the chance to show a snapshot of the jobs and internships you’ve had (if any), the work you did, the skills you used, and your accomplishments. Let’s talk about what experience you can include, how to pull out skills and demonstrate your value, and what it should look like on the page.

Experience can cover a lot of things. It can be full-time jobs, part-time jobs, internships, or research. Unpaid work—like volunteer and community roles—counts too! Don’t discount the value these other kinds of experiences can add to your resume just because you didn’t earn money. You can leverage all of your experiences on a resume by pulling out transferable skills , or broader talents you’ve developed that will be beneficial even if you aren’t applying to the same type of role.

Take a significant class project, for example. That can be built out as experience as long as you’re clear it was for a class. If you worked on a group project, you probably collaborated on a team, organized, worked under deadlines, completed some independent tasks, presented your work to others, and had some kind of outcome. Even if you were doing something that might not seem widely applicable, like designing a rocket, many of those skills can transfer over to another role. Say you had to do cost comparisons for the materials you selected for your rocket, those same analysis skills could be useful to a business role or for a part-time job where you have to order supplies for a restaurant.

You can also create targeted headers for your Experience section(s) if there are themes that correlate with the internship or part-time job you want. Specific headers—such as “Research Experience,” “Marketing Experience,” or “Software Engineering Experience”—can immediately help your reader see that you’re aligned with the needs they have for their open role.

If you don’t have something that specific, it’s OK. You can still shift your experiences into categories like “Relevant Experience” and “Additional Experience.” For example, if you’re applying to research roles, you’d want to put any research related work under “Relevant Experience,” and your cashier job and website building side hustle would go under “Additional Experience.” These two headers are great for allowing you to bump the best of your experiences up toward the top of your resume.

Once you decide which headers to use, make sure each entry includes basic information—the title of your role, the organization’s name, the location, and the dates you worked there—along with bullet points describing what you accomplished. For example:

Intern , Minnesota State Senate , St. Paul, MN June 2019–August 2019

• Researched prior legislation and current bills, summarized content, and identified alternate actions
• Coordinated the schedule for Senator Harriet Maxwell and kept accurate minutes for all meetings
• Drafted memos for important interoffice updates outside of normal meeting schedule

A skills section is a great way to make your most valuable knowledge and expertise stand out—and be easily spotted by a recruiter. Which skills belong in your own skill section depend on the jobs you’re applying for, so be sure to read the job description carefully to figure out what skills are most relevant for each particular role.

Skills that might appear in this section include (but are definitely not limited to): technical skills; software or other tools you know well; languages you can speak, read, or write; other job-specific skills like using a POS system or cash register; and, for some jobs, even your ability to drive different vehicles.

From this range, you can see why it’s important to change things up based on what job you’re applying to! Some skills—for example, being fluent or conversational in a second language—might be relatively permanent fixtures on a college resume. If you’re looking for a part-time job waiting tables, you might add the fact that you can bartend, whereas you might list your mastery in JavaScript instead when going after that software engineering internship you have your eye on.

Once you’ve decided which skills are most important for this role, you can simply list them on your resume. If you have a few different types of skills, you can separate them into categories. For instance:

Languages: Spanish (Fluent); Russian (Basic) Software: JavaScript, Python, CSS

Note that just listing your skills in a separate section isn’t always enough. You also want to make sure to describe how you’ve used key technical and job skills elsewhere on your resume (usually in the bullet points of your experience section).

Other Optional Sections

There are some other sections you can consider adding depending on your experiences and what your target employer might be looking for. For example, a consumer product firm might be looking for examples of design work. In that case you could add a section called “Design Projects,” which might include significant assignments from some of your academic classes or independent projects that you’ve developed in your spare time. Don’t be afraid to include links to your work if you’re submitting your resume online! (Just avoid hyperlinking out from important words, as this could trip up the online systems that scan most resumes.)

Another popular section is “Leadership Experience” where roles like being the vice president for one of your student organizations or being a co-captain for your athletic team would be a good fit. Employers love to see leadership themes on resumes, as it demonstrates the transferable soft skills they’re looking for like communication, collaboration, and initiative.

An “Activities” section can also demonstrate skills. If you dedicate time to learning more about consulting cases with your consulting club, you likely increased your analytical skills in a team setting, which is valuable for many business roles. If you’re an athlete, you can showcase your ability to manage your time, create or be part of a cohesive team, or organize and motivate teammates during practices. These skills gained as an athlete can be ideal if you’re applying for a heavily collaborative role. Additionally, if the activities that you’re involved in are directly applicable to the job, these are powerful to include as it demonstrates interest and dedication. So if you’re majoring in healthcare administration, adding that you’re a member of the Healthcare Society on your campus can be a major plus for an employer.

Any optional sections like these will usually need to be set up similar to your experience entries. Include the organization (or class), your role, the location, the dates you participated, and your key achievements. Here is an example of an entry you might put under a “Leadership” heading:

Head Delegate , Model United Nations , Northfield, MN September 2019–April 2020

• Researched global topics such as human rights and sustainable energy and developed persuasive positions
• Represented Chile as a delegate in an education simulation at a conference with 2,000+ participants; negotiated with others and collaborated on common goals to deliver resolutions on political issues
• Liaised between the delegation and the Secretariat, serving as a first point of contact and resolving issues

6 Tips for Writing a Successful College Resume

From formatting to crafting strong descriptions, attention to detail can pay off when tackling your resume. Here are six tips to help you develop a great resume:

1. Choose the Right Resume Format for You

Your parents or other family members might share their resume and have you copy it because it has worked for them. But they’re at a different place in their career and their format may not be the best one for you.

There are three main types of resume formats for laying out your experiences, skills, and education—the functional resume , the combination/hybrid resume , and the chronological resume . The chronological format is almost always the best fit for college students.

With a chronological resume, you’ll list your experiences within each category/section in reverse chronological order (most recent to least recent, based on end date). Since this is the most traditional and common resume format, recruiters are familiar with it and can quickly see what you have to offer.

2. Be Clear and Consistent

In terms of resume formatting, there are a lot of small choices to make about things like font, style, and spacing. Whatever you decide, make sure it is easily readable, consistent, and not overly fancy. You could have the greatest content in the world, but if it’s too difficult or annoying to read, a recruiter is going to move on.

In order to make a document easy to scan, use clear headers for your sections. Maybe they’re bold and in all caps, or maybe they’re a couple font sizes larger, but they should be the same throughout your resume. The rest of your content should be consistent as well. For example, all your organization or previous employer names might be in italics, your dates all right aligned, your locations in plain text, and the titles of your roles in bold. Keeping things uniform helps the recruiter easily absorb all the relevant information you want them to have.

3. Make Sure It Can Pass Through an Application Tracking System (ATS)

Formatting is also important because your resume will likely pass through something called an applicant tracking system (ATS), a type of software that helps recruiters organize incoming candidate applications. Recruiters can apply filters or search for keywords, and the ATS will show candidates matching the desired criteria, making it easier to identify good candidates in large applicant pools.

In order for your resume to pass this first round and make it to the human who has the power to get you to an interview, the ATS needs to see you’re a good match. But there are formatting choices that can confuse an ATS—for example, some won’t read the content inside tables, text boxes, or graphics. And if the ATS can’t read your materials, your resume might be filtered out. (Read more about formatting your resume for an ATS here .)

This all means that using one of the fancy resume templates you see online isn’t necessarily the best move . Most basic formatting can be achieved with bolding, italics, and spacing, and you will still end up with a good-looking resume—meaning that starting with a blank document can actually be a better bet. (If you still want to use a template, we’ve curated 41 free ATS-friendly templates here .)

4. Create Impactful Descriptions

Give the descriptions you use for your experiences some TLC, as this is what recruiters will focus on once you’ve caught their attention. I often discover students undersell—or simply forget—all the things they’ve done that might be interesting and of value to an employer (including those transferable skills).

Here’s an exercise that can help. Reflect on an experience (such as an internship you had or volunteer work you completed) and quickly jot down what you did. You don’t need to have much structure for this—try it as a brainstorm. Think about answering some of these questions:

• What was your role?
• What were the goals for that position or experience?
• What tasks did you specifically do?
• What projects did you work on?
• Were there any side projects or tasks you completed?
• Who did you work with?
• What did you contribute?
• What did you accomplish? (Or what did/do you intend to accomplish? This can be a useful way to think about things especially when considering research or longer term projects that are still in progress!)
• Can it be quantified? Numbers can paint a clear and impressive picture of your accomplishments to someone reading your resume. You might write that you fundraised as part of the Student Government Association, and that will generally get your point across, but if you can say you increased SGA fundraising by 30% and were able to create two new social events attended by 100+ students each, that will make more of an impact. Look for ways to quantify your accomplishments wherever possible.

Once you have a good brainstorm, take the information you gathered and try crafting several statements using this formula:

Action Verb + Subject + Outcome/Purpose/Result (i.e. Accomplishment)

So you might say:

Organized a fundraiser event for 70 participants resulting in $1,000 in donations to a local hospital

Your descriptions are most valuable when leading with an action verb that reflects specific skills. For example, swap “Worked on” for “Collaborated on” and “Responsible for” with “Oversaw.” Other verbs I often recommend students use include:

• Communicated
• Facilitated

5. Tailor Your Resume for Each Opportunity

Always tailor your resume to each specific job you apply to. Making it easy for the recruiter to connect your skills to what they are looking for can increase your chances of success. The job description is your blueprint and key to doing this. A couple of these exercises could help you identify what you’ll want to highlight.

• Activity 1: Take the job description and go through and underline everything you’ve had some experience in. This might be specific tasks, software/programs/tools, or qualities. Write a quick note in the margin to highlight when you’ve done that. Underline things where you have transferable skills too. For example, if you’ve used a software that is similar to a software they’re looking for, underline it. A recruiter should be able to see on your resume that you used similar skills and would be a quick study.
• Activity 2: If you aren’t sure which skills to emphasize, take the entire job description and pop it into a simple online word cloud generator, like TagCrowd . It automatically shows you the words most used in the description, which are likely of highest importance to the company or role. If you have those skills, make sure you mention them in your descriptions and mirror the language as exactly as possible (our friend the ATS will be looking for precise keywords!).

These activities can help you identify the right action verbs, keywords, and tools—like software—to weave into your descriptions. They can also help you decide what past experiences to include or which of your college courses are relevant to this role and which direct and transferable skills to highlight to make your resume a stronger fit for your target job.

6. Keep a Few Other Tried-and-True Tips in Mind

Here are a few other parting tips to keep in mind as you build your document:

• Avoid writing in first person (“I,” “we,” “our,” and “my” statements).
• Bullet points will make your document more readable—usually two to three per entry works well. But it doesn’t have to be even: Give more description space to the most relevant entries.
• Attention to detail matters. Proofread—not just for typos, but to make sure formatting is consistent (like date dashes). Employers will use your resume to make assumptions about how detail-oriented you are.
• Review any headers you put in all caps. Some spell checkers are programmed to assume that they’re acronyms and skip them.
• Ditch jargon and acronyms wherever possible. Don’t assume the reader always knows what you’re talking about. Sometimes the first person reading your document is a general recruiter and not familiar with the technical side of a role.
• Be aware of tenses. If you’ve completed an experience, those descriptions will be in past tense, and current roles can be described in present tense. (If you’re still actively involved in a role you can list the role through “Present,” and if more than one entry has the same end date, make a strategic decision to put the most relevant experience first.)
• Acceptable margins are usually between one and 0.7 inches.
• Pick a readable font, like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, and try not to go below font size 11.
• As a college student, stick to a one-page resume. However, you should consider keeping a longer version (called a master resume) for your own personal use. That’s where you keep a full record of your experiences to make it easier to pull out the relevant ones each time you tailor your resume for a specific job.

What Does a College Resume Look Like?

A college resume should showcase your education, experiences, and skills (direct and transferable!) in a clear way, while keeping in mind what is most relevant to your target employer. The resume below shows a student highlighting their relevant education and experiences specifically for internship opportunities in government and politics.

Download sample college resume

There are many ways to write and format a resume. Ultimately, you want one that best represents you and your accomplishments to recruiters for the job at hand. Try out some of these tips, and I hope they help you succeed in catching that recruiter’s eye!

College Application Resume for 2024 [With Examples, Tips & Template]

They say college is the most exciting time in a student’s life and we couldn’t agree more! 

The only thing standing between you and your dream university, though, is a college application resume.

You open the resume document, get ready to start writing…

And nothing comes out! After all, how can you even make a resume when you haven’t worked a day in your life?

Worry not - you don’t need any work experience to write a compelling college application resume. In this article, we’re going to teach you just how you can do that!

What Should a Resume for College Application Contain?

• 5+ College Application Resume Formatting Tips
• How to Write a Resume for College Applications?
• 3+ College Application Resume Tips

College Application Resume Template

So let’s dive in! 

Before we get into the knits and grits of writing a resume for college application, let’s first do a quick review of what your resume should contain: 

• Contact information , including your full name, address, phone number, and professional email.
• A resume objective , where you state the goal of your college application resume.
• Education section , where you list the history of your grades and exam scores.
• Relevant activities , including any work experience you might have.
• Skills relevant to a resume for a college application, e.g. soft skills such as active listening, interpersonal skills, communication skills, or hard skills such as public speaking, MS Office, or computer skills.
• Additional sections , such as awards and honors.

6 College Application Resume Formatting Tips 

Before we dive into the nits and grits of CV making, let’s talk about formatting. Here are our top tips on how to format your college application resume: 

• Choose the functional/skills-based resume format. This format is perfect for those who lack work experience , as it focuses more on your skill-set. If you DO have some work experience, though, then you can opt for the chronological format.
• Keep your college application resume one page long . As a rule of thumb, this is the optimal length for a resume—professionals with 10 years worth of work experience stick to the 1-page limit, so there’s no excuse for someone with little to no work experience to go overboard.
• Add plenty of white space , especially around your resume’s margins. It will make your resume look less cluttered and more reader-friendly.
• Include clear section headings and use the same heading for each section.
• Use an easy-to-read font. Some resume fonts (such as Ubuntu or Overpass) are resume friendly—professional-looking, easy-to-read, and yet modern. Others, like Comic Sans, are just one big NO.
• Save your college resume as a PDF. You might be used to Microsoft Word, or even think it’s the safest alternative, but MS Word has a good choice of messing up your resume format if opened in different computers or operating systems. PDF files, on the other hand, remain the same no matter what computer opens them.

How to Write a Resume for College Applications? (With Examples)

Once you’ve got the formatting done right, it’s time to get to writing your college application resume.

In this section, we’ll walk you through that process, starting with:  

#1. Order Your Contact Information the Right Way 

As we already mentioned, your college application resume should start with your contact information. 

These are your contact information section must-haves :

• Full name and address
• Functional phone number where you can be reached.
• Professional email address, preferably consisting of your first and last name.

And here’s what this looks like in practice: 

Sharon White

123 Main Street

New York, NY

Phone Number: 553-123-1234

Email: [email protected]

#2. Write an Attention-Grabbing College Resume Objective

A resume objective is a 2-3 sentence long paragraph that should communicate your motivation for getting into college or for studying a specific major.

As such, a well-crafted resume objective can instantly attract admission officers to read the rest of your college application resume. 

There is, however, a right and wrong way to write a resume objective.

A convincing resume objective is:

• Tailored to the university/major you’re applying to, instead of looking like a one-fits-all kind of statement that you can use to apply to several colleges.
• Highlights the achievements that give you an edge over the competition.  

The following example does that right: 

Aspiring journalist with a knack for creative writing looking to deepen their knowledge through NYU’s renowned Journalism track. Founder of my high school’s first online newspaper, the ‘Daily Prophet,’ which now has over 2,000 subscribers. Hardworking, with a grade A average in social sciences and commitment to improving. 

Now compare it to the following resume objective, which although articulated looks like a one-fits-all kind of statement that you can just insert into several college applications. 

Very committed high-schooler with a calling for social sciences. With an SAT score of 1400, a passion for psychology, and experience as a peer counselor, I am confident that my hard work and motivation will shine through as a college student. 

See, the resume objective is your chance to show exactly why you want to attend that college, right from the start. 

So, even if you don’t have many achievements to highlight, make sure to personalize your statement by expressing a genuine interest in your application.  

#3. Put Weight on Your Education

Taking into consideration that, as a student, you most likely lack significant work experience, your education is the first thing admission officers will look at. 

As such, you should give your education its due importance in your college application resume. 

For starters, make sure to include this must-have information:

• Your high school’s name and location
• The date of your graduation

In addition, though, combine that with some relevant achievements that can make your education pop out. 

Let’s take a look at two examples. The second student has simply listed out the essential education information, whereas the first has taken their education section to the next level. 

Dunnellon High School FL

2017 - 2021

• 3rd place at the International Mathematical Olympiad 
• Vice-President of the Science Club
• SAT Scores: 1350 (650 Verbal, 700 Math)
• SAT Scores: 1400

#4. Showcase Relevant Activities

Extracurricular activities have a great number of benefits when it comes to your college application resume. Most importantly, they:

• Demonstrate you who are outside of the classroom
• Provide an opportunity to showcase your skills

Any activity and/or interest related to the college you’re applying to has a place on your college application resume,  but you don’t have to necessarily stop there. 

Any kind of interest, field, or activity where you’re good at can be of benefit to your application. 

That’s because it can prove that your interests are not focused solely on your favorite subject or desired career path and that you are engaged and well-rounded . 

So, don’t just list your college resume activities dryly (e.g. “reading” or “swimming”). Instead, be specific and creative about your interests, and rest assured that you will get extra points for diversity and commitment. 

Don’t believe us? Compare for yourself how the activities sections of two different students look like: the first has put minimal effort into it, whereas the second has put his A-game into writing it.

• Passionate about science
• Co-founder of the Astrophysics Club

Activities 

• Two-times winner of my high school’s Science Fair
• Co-founder of the Astrophysics Club, finalists of the MIT-founded THINK challenge
• Swimmer from an early age and member of my high school’s swim team during junior and senior year 
• Traveling; I have so far visited 10 countries and 15 states in the USA. 
• Photography, with a focus on architectural photography. 

#5. Highlight Your Work Experience

Now, if you’ve spent your summer holidays working any type of job for teens , that means that you also have some work experience under your belt. 

Although work experience is not necessary when you’re applying for college (meaning that you won’t get left out of college if you don’t have any), it does help to include it if you have it. 

Here’s how to list work experience in your college application resume:

• Start with the company name (e.g. if you worked at Starbucks), your job title, and the period you worked there. 
• Put your job title first if you worked, say, as a high-school tutor or camp counselor. 
• Include 1-2 of your main responsibilities in bullets. If you have achievements to show for, however, make sure to put them first.  

Let’s see how that works in a practical example.

Starbucks Coffee 

• Awarded employee of the month for 3 months straight
• Fielding customer complaints and questions
• Maintaining good customer service and speedy delivery

Even if the above position isn’t related to the student’s desired field of study, the work experience still highlights some of their skills such as commitment, time management, effective communication, and motivation.  

#6. Include Your Skills 

Skills—we all got them, but not everyone knows how to demonstrate them effectively in a college application resume. 

There are two things to consider when you include skills in your college resume:

• Know the kind of skills that are relevant to your major/field.
• Prove your skills, instead of just listing them 

Let’s show you how that works through practical examples:

• Time management
• Critical thinking

Are these great skills for a college applicant? Sure! 

But anyone can claim to have those skills (and frankly, most people do).

Rather than just listing these skills, you want to also back them up with achievements and experiences like so: 

• Attention to deadline: managed to update the high school’s online newspaper daily
• Leadership: successfully led a team of 6 reporters.
• Creativity: won the 2021 Young Writers competition 
• Self-motivation: founded the high school’s first online newspaper

Now, this is a skills section on a college application resume that proves you deserve a spot in your favorite university.

College application resume skills 

Wondering which skills to include in your college application resume? Here’s a list to draw some inspiration: 

Soft Skills

• Good judgment 
• Open-mindedness
• Communication  
• Self-motivation
• Interpersonal skills
• Active listening
• Problem-solving

Hard Skills

• Computer Skills
• Programming
• Public Speaking

#7. Use These Additional Sections

If you’ve followed all our tips till now, congrats - you’re around 90% into creating a top-notch college application resume.

Now, let’s talk about how you can take that to 100%!

In addition to the conventional resume sections we’ve covered till now, you can include the following to help you stand out in a sea of other applicants:

• Awards. Here, you can list any awards won in competitions (spelling, art, storytelling, math, etc). 
• Volunteer experience . Did you clean up your town, or maybe you volunteered at an animal rescue center as a high school student? Any kind of volunteering can help your college application resume because it shows you’re a responsible community member. If it’s somehow related to your field or future major, that’s a big plus. 
• Projects. Be them individual (e.g. you built a website from scratch, or started an informational podcast), or school-related (e.g. an art portfolio for a class, or a history documentary), projects can show that you’re passionate and creative. 
• Sports. Poet Juvenal said “ a healthy mind in a healthy body. ” This means that physical exercise is an important part of mental and psychological well-being (which is why sports in a college application resume make all applicants look good). Do you excel at specific sports? Include them in your resume!. 
• Languages. Being fluent (or even just a beginner) in a foreign language is another plus for a prospective college student. Make sure to show it in your college application resume. 

5 College Application Resume Tips

Finally, here are some of our college application tips that didn’t fit anywhere else in the article:

• Be direct and to the point. Your college application resume is not the right place to show how many SAT-level words you know. Keep your language simple, direct, and to the point. Let your achievements and results speak for themselves. 
• Don't lie about your academic background or accomplishments. Lying about the awards you’ve won or your achievements won’t get you into college. More often than not, admission officers will see through your lies by asking behavioral interview questions . 
• Proofread your college application resume.   Spelling and grammar mistakes can make you appear like a less serious applicant. Imagine telling recruiters that you have great SAT scores and GPA but having spelling mistakes in your resume. Kind of contradictory, isn’t it? To avoid these kinds of mistakes, use spelling and grammar apps such as Grammarly and Heminway . 
• Have one or more people look at your resume before you send it out. There are kinds of mistakes that Grammarly or Hemingway cannot catch. To avoid such mistakes, have one or more people that know you give your college application resume a look. 
• Emphasize specific achievements over general responsibilities. As mentioned before, emphasizing your achievements over your responsibilities is the best way to set yourself apart from other candidates. The reason is that your achievements effectively show how well you handle responsibilities and they are uniquely yours.

Making a resume from scratch can take what feels like ages—especially if it’s your first time doing it.

You’ve got to tweak the formatting. 

You make a change at MS Word and the layout falls apart in front of your eyes. Or you end up using a bland and outdated template. 

Well, you don’t have to worry about any of these things with Nóvóresume’s free resume templates . 

With 8 free templates to choose from - college application resume included - you don’t have to worry about anything other than inputting your information.

Let our resume builder do the rest! 

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap on college application resumes. We hope to have made the process of writing yours easier and even more enjoyable. 

For good measure, let’s go over the main points we covered: 

• Your college application resume should contain the following sections: contact information , personal profile , education section , relevant activities , your skills , and additional sections , such as awards and honors. 
• In terms of formatting, the functional resume template fits your college application best. Additionally, make sure to keep your resume one page long and save it as a PDF. 
• Write a resume objective that doesn’t surpass 3 sentences and that clearly communicates your motivation for getting into college and your most relevant skills. 
• Make sure to give your education section its due importance by being thorough about your grades, SAT scores, and achievements. 
• Don’t forget to list all your relevant activities and passions, as well as soft and hard skills.
• Instead of writing your college application resume from scratch, use one of Nóvóresume’s ready-made templates to save yourself time and effort!  

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• How to Add an Expected...

How to Add an Expected Graduation to Your Resume + Examples

9 min read · Updated on August 13, 2024

Yes, you should include your expected graduation date on your resume.

You've been working hard for the past few years to make the grades and graduate from college. Now, that imminent graduation date is approaching, and you're excited about what lies ahead while also being a bit nervous about landing a job and starting life in the “real world.”  

It's okay. Some nerves are to be expected as you begin your job search journey. Fortunately, you have plenty of resources at your fingertips to support you in that journey, like this post.  

One of the first steps any college graduate has to take to land a job, similar to job candidates at any level, is to craft a well-written resume to garner the attention of prospective employers. As a soon-to-be college graduate, one common consideration as you embark on this task is whether you should include your expected graduation on your resume. 

In this post, we cover:

When to include an expected graduation date for college on your resume

When you shouldn't include an expected graduation on your resume

How to include an expected graduation on your resume

Tips on writing your education section

Expected graduation date resume examples

Pro tip: As you continue your college courses, bear in mind that you want to begin applying for jobs before you graduate. It's best to begin searching for jobs at least a semester prior to your graduation. It's common for employers to present job offers to college students before they graduate.  

Should you include an expected graduation date for college on your resume?

In short, yes, if you're on the traditional college path and know what your graduation date is expected to be, you should include that expected graduation date on your resume. Sharing your expected graduation date helps potential employers understand your current academic status and when you will be available for full-time work. It also presents them with information that helps define your level of experience – i.e., that you should be considered an entry-level candidate with little to no work experience for open positions.

But what if you're not on the traditional college path or going straight through college? Let's take a deeper dive into this question based on different scenarios that might define your situation.

Should I include an expected graduation on my resume if I'm far from graduating?

Suppose you still have a ways to go before you graduate or have just started a program. In that case, it can still be beneficial to include an expected graduation on your resume. This is especially true if you're applying for internships or co-ops during college. 

However, if your graduation date is more than a couple of years away, another option to consider using is “Anticipated Graduation Date” vs. “Expected Graduation Date,” since a lot of things can happen over a four-year period that could impact your graduation date.

Should I include an expected graduation on my resume if I'm taking a break from college?

It's not uncommon for students to take a break from college for various reasons today. You might be taking a semester off to clarify your goals or to gain experience through travel or work. Regardless, if you're still on the course to finish college, you should include your expected graduation date on your resume. To reiterate, this information is relevant to prospective employers when you're applying for jobs that commence after you complete your college degree. 

What information should I include if I'm not completing or didn't complete my degree?

If you didn't complete your studies to graduate or you know you're not going to complete your degree, then you won't have an expected graduation date to include. If you did include an expected graduation date under these circumstances, it would lack integrity, which is no way to start your job search journey. Instead, you will include the dates you attended following the degree you were pursuing, with the relevant coursework you completed. We include an example of how to do this near the end of this post.  

When should you not include expected graduation on your resume?

There are several reasons why including an expected graduation date on your resume is a smart idea. There are also a couple of reasons why you don't need to or shouldn't include it.

It's not relevant to the job you're applying to. It might be that you're applying for a job that doesn't require a college degree, or it's a part-time job that isn't related to your degree. In those cases, you don't need to include your expected graduation on your resume. 

You're not yet in college. If you haven't started college courses yet, don't include anything related to a college degree on your resume, even if you know for certain that you're going to college. Only include your college degree once you're in college, and at that time, include your expected or anticipated graduation date.

How to include an expected graduation date on your resume

When including an expected graduation on your resume:

Place it in the Education section next to the degree you're pursuing.

Include only your expected graduation date. Leave off the start date.

Use one of the standard formatting options and the mm/yyyy style for your date. 

In terms of what belongs in your education section, here are the required pieces of information if you have recently received or are pursuing a college degree:

Name of the degree

Issuing institution

Expected graduation date if still in college

If you recently graduated, you can include your graduation date, as well, though it's not required.

Here are the optional pieces of information you can include if you're a student or recent college graduate:

Grade point average (GPA) if you achieved a 3.5 or higher

Academic awards, like Dean's List or Latin honors, which include cum laude , magna cume laude , and summa cum laude  

Scholarships

Relevant coursework

Academic projects

Certifications achieved through academic coursework

As you advance in your career after landing your first job, it's good to know that people who graduated from college more than two years ago or have at least a couple of years of work experience under their belts should leave items like GPA, Dean's list, and scholarships off their resume. Employers are most interested in the degree obtained. 

Based on personal circumstances, it can still be beneficial to include academic-related information, like Latin honors, relevant coursework, projects, and certifications, as an experienced hire. 

When in doubt, you can always hire a professional resume writer to guide you.  

Tips for adding education and graduation information to your resume

Below are some tips to consider as you craft your resume's Education section.

Emphasize your education in lieu of experience

If you're a student or soon-to-be college graduate with little relevant work experience to include on your resume, you'll list your education above your work experience. If you happen to have a sufficient amount of relevant experiences, like internships, co-ops, work-study, or leadership roles in extracurricular activities, then you'll include your Work Experience section before your Education section. In either case, the name of your degree should always be listed first, with any additional details you choose to include coming after.

Include relevant coursework

If you've completed coursework relevant to the job you're applying for but haven't yet graduated, including such information on your resume can sometimes give you an edge over other candidates. List these courses under a subheading like "Relevant Coursework" within your Education section to highlight your specialized knowledge.

When writing an expected graduation date, it's important to keep it concise and clear. For instance, instead of writing "Expected to graduate in the spring semester of 2023," use any of the following formatting options following your degree:

Expected Graduation: May 2023

(expected May 2023)

(expected graduation May 2023)

Expected: May 2023

Expected 5/2023

Any of these options provide the necessary information in a more digestible format and don't take up as much space on your resume. Use the formatting that looks the best on your resume as a whole. In most instances, shorter is better.  

Use reverse-chronological formatting

The most used formatting option for resumes is the reverse-chronological format . If you have more than one degree, include your most recent degree first and work backward. The same goes for your Work Experience section – begin with your most recent experience first.

Use consistent formatting

Be consistent with the formatting you use throughout your resume. In other words, the date format you use in the Education section should be the same as what you use in your Work Experience section. The same goes for the type of font and bullet points you might use. 

Always remember that honesty is crucial when listing your GPA or expected graduation date. Misrepresenting this information could lead to complications down the line if an employer finds out that you won't be graduating when initially stated or have a lower GPA. 

Only include your GPA if it's 3.5 or higher. If there are uncertainties about your graduation timeline due to factors like double majors or part-time status, consider using "Anticipated Graduation Date" instead of “Expected Graduation Date.”

Now, let's take a look at some examples of how the above guidance all comes together on a resume. 

1. Expected graduation date example

Bachelor of Business Administration | ABC UniversityExpected Graduation: May 2024

2. Expected graduation date example with GPA

Bachelor of Science in Psychology (expected May 2024)WXY UniversityGPA 3.6

3. Expected graduation date example with honors

Bachelor of Science in Political Science (expected August 2025)XYZ UniversityDean's List, 4 semesters

4. Expected graduation date example with GPA and coursework

Bachelor of Arts — Clinical Psychology | Expected December 2024ABC University

COURSES: Abnormal Psychology, Psychology Theories and Techniques, Trauma-informed Approaches to Treatment, Childhood Development, Basic Pharmacology 

5. Expected graduation date example with multiple and advanced degrees

Master of Education - Counseling (expected May 2025)BBB CollegeBachelor of Art - Psychology ( cum laude ), 2023University of AAA

6. Example with incomplete degree and relevant coursework

Bachelors in MarketingXYZ UniversitySept. 2020 to Dec. 2022

Relevant courses: Introduction to Marketing Communications, Business Statistics, Marketing Analytics, Internet Marketing, Advanced Marketing Techniques 

Expected graduation on a resume is expected

Including expected graduation on a resume is necessary if you want to give prospective employers a clear idea as to your availability for work. Use the information provided here to guide you in incorporating your expected graduation on your resume, and best of luck with your job search!

Are you still wondering the best way to include expected graduation on your resume? Why not submit your resume for a free resume review and let our experts help you decide?

Recommended reading:

How to Include a Minor on Your Resume

How to Check if My Resume Is ATS-Friendly for Free

Hard Skills Explained (and the Top 8 for Your Resume)

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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Resume Guidelines and Samples

Resume Samples

Purpose of resume (overview), resume header, education section of resume, experience section of resume, skills section of resume, resume checklist.

Download resume guidelines as a pdf List of resume action verb How to write effective resume bullets

How to have your resume reviewed

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Your resume is generally a one-page document that clearly presents your current and past experiences and accomplishments so that your reader can understand the unique value that you bring to the table. As you begin to draft your resume, consider the following. Your resume is:

• Your first opportunity to make an impression. Step back from the details to consider what story you want to communicate.
• Foremost, about the content and demonstrating your experiences. Begin by writing your resume in Google docs or Word, and avoid using templates that focus on form over content.
• A living document that you will tailor to specific positions and will evolve throughout your career.
• Not a laundry list of every experience; it is a carefully curated list of relevant experiences. 
• Easy to read. Consider font type and size, formatting, and a balance of text and white space.
• Shared with potential employers as a pdf document.

The header provides your full name and contact information (email address & telephone number). This section should not include personal information (e.g., sex, date of birth, marital status). Items that may be included in your header:

• Wellesley and/or home address: If you choose both, be sure to label each address accordingly. 
• Personal website, links to professional social media (Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) 

If you are a current student or recent alumna, the education section should be just below the heading, with the most recent education listed first. Generally, you should not include your high school on your resume; however, first-year college students may include relevant high school experiences. Necessary information includes:

• Your institution and its location (City/Town and State) 
• Your degree (Bachelor of Arts), any major(s) and/or minor(s) 
• Expected graduation date. 
• Optional: Study abroad programs and institutions where you cross-registered for classes. 

In this section, provide details about your various experiences, highlighting accomplishments, learning outcomes, and transferable skills. “Experience” is broadly defined and can include full- or part-time work, summer jobs, internships, research, academic projects, campus leadership, volunteer opportunities, etc. Describe your experiences using strong, specific verbs, and emphasize the results and impact of your work. You can create separate and distinct Experience sections to highlight those positions or skills (e.g., Research, Leadership, Extracurricular, or Volunteer). 

• List experiences in reverse chronological order (most recent first). 
• Include name and location of the organization where this experience took place and the title of your role. 
• Include start and end date for your experience. If it is ongoing, list your end date as “Present.” 
• Describe your experience in accomplishment statements, using short phrases starting with a strong verb. Be specific and quantify your experiences whenever you can. 
• Create 2-5 accomplishment statements for each experience. 

This section provides an immediate view of the kinds of tasks you are ready to undertake. While you will want to be selective and only list relevant skills, these might range from technical skills, like expertise using a digital tool, to experience-based skills, like project management or database design. This section can also include certifications, languages, etc. In general, it’s best to avoid general skills like people skills, time management or critical thinking. As this section grows, you may divide it into several distinct skills sections, like Software Expertise, Language Skills, Teaching Skills, Design Skills, etc.

Is your resume... 

☐ Easy to read? 

☐ Simple, clean font (e.g. Times, Arial, Garamond) 

☐ 10 to 12 pt. font 

☐ 0.5 to 1 in. margins 

☐ Error free (grammar & spelling)? 

☐ Devoid of personal pronouns (I, me, my, we)? 

☐ Concise? 

☐ Reverse chronological? 

☐ Tailored to the type(s) of opportunities you are seeking?

Does your resume… 

☐ Effectively communicate your relevant skills and experience? 

☐ Effectively communicate your personal brand? 

☐ Use consistent formatting for dates, job accomplishments, etc.? 

☐ Display your strongest or most relevant qualifications near the top of the page or section? 

☐ Highlight all your related/transferable experience? 

☐ Utilize action verbs and results-oriented language to describe your experience?

☐  Display on the screen without formatting errors as a pdf attachment?

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How to make a resume in Microsoft Word

Whether you’re just entering the workforce or need a resume refresh, you’re probably considering Microsoft Word for the task. We’ll walk you through options for making a resume in Word, from using helpful templates to creating a resume from scratch.

Use a built-in Word resume template

Use a word resume template on the web, use a third-party word resume template, create a word resume from scratch.

The quickest and easiest way to make a resume in Word is using one of Microsoft’s templates . You can look for one directly in Word and choose from a large collection of options.

Open Word, select File > New , and pop “resume” into the Search box. You can then browse the templates with resumes for specific jobs and industries along with those for any type of position.

Choose a template to see a description and pick Create to use the resume.

The Microsoft resume templates come with placeholders that you can simply swap out for your own details. This is handy if you like the appearance of all elements in the template. Of course, if you’re not fond of the color scheme or font styles, you can change those types of items.

Remember to go to File > Save As to save a copy of your resume.

Maybe you don’t have Microsoft Word on your computer yet but need your resume in that format. You can use Word on the web for free with a Microsoft account and take advantage of resume templates.

Visit the Microsoft Create website and explore the resume templates . If you see one you like, select it to open it directly in Word for the web.

Alternatively, select Create from scratch and choose Resumes, flyers, brochures . When Word opens, use the Designer sidebar on the right to browse through and choose a resume template.

Then, swap out the placeholders for your own details and customize the resume as you like.

If you like the template idea but don’t care for any of the Microsoft options, you can check out third-party templates for your resume. Here are just a few of the top options and samples of resume templates they offer for free.

Resume Genius

With Resume Genius , you can pick from over a dozen custom Word templates to download. From simple to professional to aesthetically pleasing to visually appealing, you’re sure to find at least one resume template you like.

Hloom offers over 15 resume and CV templates for free and even more if you don’t mind paying. Be sure to select Free on the left below License if you want to narrow down the no-charge options. As a bonus, you’ll also see a tab for cover letters if you’re in the market for one of those too.

Template.net

One more place to check out for Word resume templates is Template.net . You’ll find a large variety of attractive options specific to position or resume style. Like with Hloom, select Free beneath License on the left, and be sure to take a look at the cover letter collection too.

After you download a resume template from one of the above sites, simply customize it with your own details.

Maybe you’d prefer to simply create your resume from scratch; this is always an option if you have the time. Consider reviewing the above templates and samples for the information you should include and ideas for formatting.

To get started, add the following details to your resume:

Full name and current position : Place your name and position at the top. If you don’t have a current position, you can certainly omit it.

Objective (optional) : Provide a brief description of your goal to potential employers beneath your name and position. This is an optional inclusion — if you add one, try to keep it short and sweet with one to two meaningful sentences.

Contact details : Include at least your email address and phone number. If you have an up-to-date website or LinkedIn profile, you can add these as well. Make sure these details are kept together in a specific location so they’re simple to find.

Work experience : List your work experience in chronological order with the most recent first. Start with your position, then move onto the employer, month, and year you worked there, and your duties. You should include your duties and responsibilities in a list format making them easy to review.

Education : List your educational history in chronological order with the most recent first. Start with the degree, then add the school with the month and year you attended.

Skills, awards, and more : Use a list format to add your skills, awards, certifications, volunteer work, and any other details you feel important to the position or company.

Here are several tips when formatting your resume in Word:

• Use a heading or larger font for your full name at the top.
• Add headings for the Experience, Educations, and Skills sections.
• If you decide to use color, keep it to just one or two complementary colors.
• Try to use the same font style throughout, taking advantage of font sizes, headings, or bold formatting for more prominent details.
• Use a font that’s easy to read like a 12-point Arial, Calibri, Georgia, or Times New Roman for the main body text. You might also consider which font style works better for reading on the web versus on a printed piece.
• If you include a headshot, make sure it’s a professional one.
• Consider using a table to structure your resume, as shown above.

Finally, be sure to keep the appearance and content of your resume consistent.

Is it OK to make a resume in Word?

Absolutely! This is exactly the type of document you should create in a word processing application like Microsoft Word. If you prefer, you can also use a web application like Google Docs to make a resume or downloadable software like LibreOffice Writer.

Once your resume is complete, you can save it as a PDF or other requested format in most word processing applications for submission to the potential employer or hiring manager.

How far back should a resume go?

Most experts recommend 10 to 15 years is appropriate for a resume. Keep in mind that you should include relevant work experience for that time period . For example, if you’re a nurse who worked at a fast-food chain for two months 12 years ago, you can likely exclude that job.

How many pages should a resume be?

The standard for a resume is one to two pages. However, this can depend on the length of your experience and education in relation to the position for which you’re applying. For instance, someone who’s been in the workforce for 20 years might require two pages, but a recent college graduate would probably only need one page.

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Upgrading to Windows 11 comes with a few requirements, and that includes a bump in random access memory (RAM). And with Windows 10 nearing the end of support, many users will soon need to consider switching to Windows 11 regardless of how much memory it consumes.

Windows 11, while it introduces a host of new features, may consume more RAM than its predecessor, but the amount of memory that it uses is not universal. Below, we'll explain what RAM is, explore how much RAM Windows 11 actually uses, and how to lower that amount if your PC is having a hard time. Windows 11: RAM usage when idle

Microsoft Teams is reportedly testing a new design that merges the app's channels and text chat into one user interface, a lot like Slack. This could potentially streamline text communication for organizations and businesses, as The Verge's Tom Warren mentioned in his Notebook newsletter post.

The newsletter mentioned that Microsoft is currently testing a change combining the text chat and channels into one UI. An internal Microsoft message said: "Our new experience brings chats and channels together to get you to what matters faster."

Since releasing the original Surface tablet in 2012, Microsoft has grown its PC business into a multibillion-dollar enterprise. The mobile Surface line has expanded to include 2-in-1 and traditional clamshell laptops in various form factors. There's the Surface Pro 11, Surface Laptop 7, Surface Laptop Go 3, and Surface Laptop Studio 2. That's quite the lineup, and you'll find a Surface on a number of our best-of lists such as best tablets and best laptops.

The two most mainstream lines, though, are the Surface Pro 11 and the Surface Laptop 7. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and you'll want to keep them in mind if you're looking for a Surface and choosing between the two. Specs and configurations

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A Shady Scam Is Targeting College Kids And Parents. Here's How To Spot It.

Senior Reporter, Work/Life

As a student or the parent of one, the cost of tuition is always at the back of your mind.

The average price of attending a four-year college nowadays ranges from $108,584 at public institutions to over $234,512 at private universities, according to the Education Data Initiative . And as schools go back in session, scammers prey on family’s financial anxieties.

The Federal Communications Commission issued an alert this spring to students and parents, warning them to be wary of “scammers seeking to capitalize on the busy academic season, online as well as over the phone.” One of the top student scams the FCC says to be wary of? The scholarship scam.

Michael Jabbara, the senior vice president and global head of fraud services for Visa, said the credit card company is seeing an uptick in these tuition-related scams.

In these tricks, families will typically receive a tempting email that redirects them to a website promising, “Hey, we can offer you scholarships or discounts to pay your tuition. All you have to do is complete your application and pay a processing fee,” Jabbara explained. “And sometimes it is about getting the money. Sometimes it’s about stealing that sensitive data so that it can be monetized elsewhere.”

These bad actors will sometimes claim to be reaching out under the authority of an altruistic organization, a school’s financial aid office or a well-known celebrity. In 2014, filmmaker Tyler Perry warned fans about a fake scholarship program using his name: “Do not let anyone tell you that I have a scholarship program that you have to pay to be a part of, ok? That’s NOT TRUE!” he wrote on Facebook .

Jabbara said the scholarship scams can be so effective because they play into people’s anxiety of whether students can afford their dream school or if parents can pay for their child’s education.

The Biggest Red Flags Of A Scholarship Scam

There are many legitimate scholarships that will help cover the costs of college, but be wary of organizations that overpromise what they can do for you, Jabbara said.

If “all you have to do is apply and you’re automatically guaranteed to get an offer, or if you use [that] service, you’ll be able to get 80% discount on your tuition fees,” that’s likely a scam, he said. As with other scams, being asked to pay through a wire transfer or a peer-to-peer app like Venmo is also a sign you’re being scammed, Jabbara added.

Be wary of scholarships that ask you to pay fees before applying, too. It’s normal to pay to become a member of an organization that offers scholarships like the National Parent Teacher Association, but it’s not normal to be paying application fees, said Jocelyn Pearson, the CEO and founder of The Scholarship System , a company that helps people secure college scholarships.

“If it’s a scholarship that specifically requires a fee to submit it, don’t do it,” she said.

It also helps to understand what a scholarship typically will ask to know from applicants. Your name, birthday, age, grade, school, address, where you plan to go to school, contact information, testing scores, or your Student Aid Index ― a formula-based index number that determines how much financial support you need for college ― are “fair game” questions, Pearson said. But it’s a big red flag if the scholarship wants your social security number. “That’s definitely a scam,” she said.

What To Do If You Fall Victim To A Scholarship Scam

The best way to combat a scholarship scam is to avoid applying to them in the first place. But if you already submitted your information to a scholarship that you suspect is fraudulent, there are still a few things you can do:

Report what happened to authorities.

“Call your bank and let them know that you’ve been the victim of fraud, so that it gets flagged in the system and you’ll be able to dispute that,” Jabbara recommended.

If you paid the scam through a peer-to-peer app or using cash, your options for recourse might be limited. But even if you are not able to recover your money, reporting it to your local or federal authorities can help alert them to rising trends. You can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission online or by calling 877-382-4357.

Double-check the track record of who is paying out the scholarship.

If someone is claiming to be from a college’s financial aid office, look up the number on the school’s website before you call them, and do not use the number you see in an email, said Melanie McGovern, the director of public relations and social media for the Better Business Bureau.

“If you get that email or you see an ad, go over to a search engine, type it in and use the word ‘scam,’ ‘fraud,’ or reviews to see what people are saying,” McGovern recommended.

Go to your school’s college counselor for help with finding real scholarships, and if you do not have one, use a trusted database. Pearson recommended websites like Broke Scholar and Scholly that have search filters, as well as JLV College Counseling’s list , which was created by a former college admissions counselor and “has huge lists of legitimate scholarships.” She also recommended RaiseMe , which enables students to earn scholarship money based on certain academic and extracurricular activities they do throughout high school.

Finding scholarships can be overwhelming, so if you’re a parent wondering how to help your student, Pearson said that “building the list of scholarships that they’re applying to is one of the best ways you can help.”

Create a separate email for the scholarship process.

Whether it’s a scam or not, it’s helpful to limit what information you give out in case you accidentally apply to a fraudulent scholarship.

Take it from Pearson, who used her personal email address back when she was applying for scholarships that turned out to be scams: “That email address that I used back then is completely destroyed. It had well over 20,000 unread emails, because I was getting spammed daily from these companies.“

That’s why she recommends creating an email address specifically for scholarships like [email protected].

Target scholarships that have a more thorough application process instead.

When Pearson was a high school junior, she wasted a year applying to dozens of sweepstakes scholarships that used language like “no-essay scholarship,” “enter to win” or had “monthly drawings” for rewards. These lottery-based scholarships are not necessarily fraudulent, but Pearson considers them to be a scam since your chances of winning are “very slim,” she said.

“Most families have done these at some point, including myself, because they’re quick and easy,” she said. “So if it takes a student 15 minutes or less to knock out an application, that’s also a warning sign right there, because then it’s just not based on [their] credentials.”

Instead of wasting time on these luck-based scholarships, Pearson recommends targeting ones that are more involved with essays and interviews. That’s what Pearson did after her disappointing junior year and won over $126,000 in scholarship money to pay for her college ― and she had money left over.

The good news is that the best time to apply and win a scholarship might be around the corner, Pearson said. The “true scholarship season” is January through May, so fall is a less competitive time where students have a greater chance of winning, she said.

Applying for a legitimate scholarship takes time, but it’s worth it. After you learn how to properly apply for scholarships, it’s a skill you can benefit from throughout your college experience.

“Once they can figure out legitimate scholarships versus scams, they can apply junior year in high school, senior year in high school, and all four years of college, like I did,” Pearson said.

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