CV Examples for Students (With How-To, Tips and Template)

Knowing how to write a high-quality student CV that showcases your academic and professional credentials can position you as the best candidate for work and educational positions.

In this article, we explain the importance of a well-written curriculum vitae and how to write one step by step with multiple examples and a template to help you write your own.

How to create a CV for students

Take these steps to create a professional student CV that will impress admission committees and hiring managers:

1. Use the proper format and structure.

2. Study the position and the employer.

3. Start with a captivating personal statement or objective.

4. Be creative with your education.

5. Expand your work experience.

6. Add other sections.

7. Proofread and edit.

Related: How To Write a CV: Tips, Template and Example

1. Use the proper format and structure

Before you start writing your student CV, it is essential to determine the correct structure and format. This gives your CV a professional look and improves legibility. Use simple and clear fonts that make it easy to read your CV.

2. Study the position and the employer

Researching the employer and the position can help you determine the education qualifications and skills to include on your CV. If you're applying for graduate studies, look at the requirements of the program and study the CV of other candidates. You can also check job descriptions in your industry to identify the common skills employers want to see on your CV.

3. Start with a captivating personal statement or objective

Lead with a compelling personal statement that highlights your skills, achievements and educational qualifications. Your CV personal statement comprises two to three sentences summarizing who you are, your academic qualifications and experience, your ambitions and what you will bring to a position or an employer. Even if you have no work experience, you can use this section to highlight relevant skills, voluntary service and coursework that makes you an ideal candidate.

Read more: How to Write a Powerful Personal Statement

4. Be creative with your education

Students often lack extensive work experience to include in their CV. With creativity, you can expand your education section to increase the amount of detail in the document. Things you can add are relevant subjects, coursework, projects, awards and grades if they will improve your chances of getting the role.

Start from your most recent educational qualification in reverse chronological order. If you have a higher degree, you can drop your high school credentials from the CV. Add your GPA only if it will boost your chance of getting the role, preferably something between 3.5 to 4.0. Mention your education first if you have no work experience.

When listing schools, include the name of the program, school and year attended. Optional information includes your GPA, honors, minor and academic achievements. If you're an undergraduate, you can list essential courses and modules relevant to the role. You can also include your expected degree classification and previous grades if they improve your candidacy.

Related: 7 Types of Resumes To Use in Your Job Search

5. Expand your work experience

Even if you have no paid work experience, you can include volunteer work, placements, internships and team activities in your CV. These activities can help you highlight workplace skills and demonstrate your passion for the position.

In this section, start from your most recent role. Include voluntary work, internship placements and all full- and part-time paid work relevant to the role. Each position needs to include the company name, job title and the months and years that you worked.

In your key responsibilities section, highlight the skills, experience and achievements you gained at each role. Add only the responsibilities relevant to the job you're applying for and quantify your accomplishments with figures. Additionally, make sure there are no gaps in your work history.

Read more: How To Highlight Work Experience on Your Resume

6. Add other sections

If you need to highlight your skills, an additional skills section allows you to mention hard, soft and general competencies and your level of proficiency. You can also include achievements such as awards and recognition and positions of responsibility at school. Make sure to include only real skills and accomplishments because the hiring manager may ask you to prove them at the interview.

You can also add a hobby and interests section in your student CV, that concisely lists potentially-relevant skills and experience. Hobbies and interests that demonstrate a love for learning or determination can show a hiring manager transferable capabilities.

Other optional sections you can add to a student CV include certificates and awards, languages and personal projects.

Related: The 6 Most Important Parts of a Resume (with Examples)

7. Proofread and edit

After writing your CV, proofread and edit the document multiple times before sending it to the employer. You may have excellent credentials, but typos and grammatical errors can send the wrong impression to recruiters. Many free online tools will check your CV for grammar and style errors. You might also consider having another person review your CV for feedback on how to improve the content and quality.

Related: 27 Proofreading Tips That Will Improve Your Resume

CV template for students

Image description

CV Format

1. Name and contact information

2. Summary

3. Professional history

4. Education

5. Skills

6. Awards

7. Publications

The format of a CV depends on the position and organization you're applying to and your experience and education. However, there are necessary and optional details you can include in a CV.

Necessary sections to include in a CV

Here are must-have sections in a CV:

• Contact information

• CV summary or objective

• Work experience

• Skills

• Education

Optional sections to include in a CV

The following sections are optional in a CV:

• Personal projects

• Languages

• Certifications and awards

• Volunteer experience

To upload the template into Google Docs, go to File > Open > and select the correct downloaded file.

Now that you know the information to include in a CV, the next step is to create a compelling student CV. Use this template to structure your student CV:

Contact information

[Your full name]
[Contact address]
[Phone number]
[Email address]

Personal statement or objective

[Write your personal summary or objective here.]

Education

[Title of degree and the name of the school]
[Dates you attended or expected date of graduation]

• [Three to five bullets focused on your achievements, accomplishments or memberships while in college]

• [Three to five bullets focused on your achievements, accomplishments or memberships while in college]

• [Three to five bullets focused on your achievements, accomplishments or memberships while in college]

Honors and awards

[Include any honors and awards you received in school.]

Publications

You can also create a separate section for papers if you want to mention several publications. Otherwise, place them under the education summary.

[Include any papers you published or coauthored during your studies.]
[Include the date of submission and the title of the publication.]

Research

Your research experience can have a separate section if it allows you to showcase transferrable skills.

[Title]
[Name of research]
[Date and duration of the research]

• [Include 3-5 bullet points about your responsibilities, achievements, results and skills and experience gained during the exercise.]

• [Start each bullet point with an action verb.]

Employment history

[Title]
[Dates of employment]
[Company or organization], [Location/Address]

• [List three to five work experiences.]

• [Begin sentences with past or present action verbs.]

• [Quantify achievements with figures.]

Core skills

[List 3-5 important skills that you developed as a student.]

Hobbies or other relevant interests

[Include 3-5 hobbies.]

[Include the name of the certificate, the awarding institution, dates of obtainment and state or country. Start from the most recent certifications.]

[Include languages and proficiency.]

Related: Curriculum Vitae (CV) Format Guide (With Examples and Tips)

CV examples for students

Here are CV examples of different education levels you can use to start writing your own student CV:

CV example for high school student

Perry Rowe
227 Oak Ridge Avenue, SW, BLK 35
555-555-5555
perryrowe@email.com

Personal statement

Hardworking high school student with three months of experience in a fast-food business. Looking to leverage my customer relations and communications skills to increase guests' satisfaction and boost revenues.

Education

Clapton Harrow High School, New Calabria, Oregon | 2018-Present
Science Club: Assistant secretary

Employment History

Barton's Fancy Donuts
September 2018-January 2019
Waitress

• Welcomed guests and patrons and seated them comfortably

• Collected orders and worked with the kitchen staff for speedy and accurate delivery of guests' meals

• Served foods and beverages

• Cleaned the dining area and rearranged seating for special events

Skills

• Excellent communication skills

• Cheerful attitude

• Customer service

Volunteer experience

Lifeguard
2015-Present

• Promoted safety of visitors to Blue Ridge Beach

Related: Academic Curriculum Vitae (CV) Template (Plus Writing Tips)

CV example for undergraduate student

Tara Defoe
569 Parklands Ave. NW, Apt 443
555-555-5555
taradefoe@email.com

Personal statement

A dedicated chemistry undergraduate with a year's experience in industrial chemistry. Specialized in condensate analysis, digital chromatography and the use of statistical tools. Looking to improve my knowledge of industrial chemistry research at the quality assurance department of your reputable organization.

Education

Massachusetts State University
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
April 2017
Magna Cum Laude
GPA: 3.75

Honors and awards

Dean's scholarship of $5,000 per year

Publications

"Seismic effect of fractal exploration of oil on the American prairie: A metastudy," Submitted for review to the Undergraduate Journal of Industrial Chemistry. September 2019.

Research

Massachusetts State University
Department of Chemistry
Research Assistant
April 2018-May 2019

• Assisted Professor JorgenStopes in research on fractal analytics

• Helped postdoctoral researchers in data entry and analysis in SPSS

• Conducted a field survey to determine the opinion of local communities on a gas project

Employment history

MSU Student Science Club
June 2018-June 2019
Assistant Treasurer

• Collected annual dues and issued receipts to club members

• Participated in the club executive meetings

• Compiled financial records of the club and recommended ways of raising funds

• Referred students to appropriate administrative officials when they needed financial assistance

Skills

• SPSS

• Data analysis

• Use of fractional distillation equipment

• Fractal analytics

Hobbies and interests

• Reading

• Water sports

• Mountaineering

CV example for master's student

Lupe Morten

88 Creek Avenue
Dallas, TX 75063
555-555-5555
lupemorten@email.com

Professional summary

Motivated and technically competent master's student with 3+ years of research experience in biology. Specialized in specimen preparation and analysis, laboratory practice and SPSS. Seeking a fellowship at your reputable institution to contribute to the body of knowledge in amphibian research.

Education

The University of Texas at Austin, Texas
Master of Science in Microbiology
September 2018-Present
University of Houston, Texas
Bachelor of Science in Biology
April 2012-April 2016

Research

The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Microbiology
Research Assistant
February 2019-August 2019

• Collected live specimen of the endangered fork-tongued desert lizard native to northern Texas

• Collaborated with doctoral students to design a breeding program to improve the wild stock of amphibian species

• Analyzed survey and lab results in SPSS

• Served as an assistant to Professor Burton Atlee

Employment history

Jenkins Biotechnologies
May 2016-August 2018
Lab Scientist

• Performed laboratory duties, including preparing, dressing and storing specimen

• Analyzed biological samples for potential pathogens under sterile conditions

• Participated in the genome sequencing on a novel retrovirus for the creation of a vaccine

• Managed the laboratory and ensured proper waste disposal

Hobbies

• Swimming

• Salsa dancing