What to include
Each entry needs four things, and can have a few more if they help you:
| Always include | Include if it helps |
|---|---|
| Degree and major (BS, Computer Science) | GPA (or degree class in the UK, CGPA in India) |
| Institution | Honors, dean's list, scholarships |
| City and state (and country if applying abroad) | Relevant coursework |
| Graduation year, or expected year | Thesis, capstone or senior project |
Write the degree the way it appears on your diploma, but use the common abbreviation if one exists: BA, BS, BSN, MBA, MS. Spell out the major: “BS, Mechanical Engineering”, not “BSME”, unless the abbreviation is standard in your field.
Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX · May 2026 · GPA 3.7/4.0
Some people put the degree first, some the institution. Put first whichever is the stronger signal: a well-known institution can lead, otherwise lead with the degree. Be consistent across all entries.
Where education goes on the page
| Your situation | Position | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Student or recent graduate | Near the top, after the summary | It is your strongest evidence |
| Under 2 years of work | Either; usually after experience | Move it up if the degree is more relevant than the job |
| 2+ years of work | After experience and skills | Your work is now the evidence that matters |
| Career changer with a new qualification | Above experience | The new degree or course is your bridge |
| Academic, research or medical roles | Near the top, in full detail | Education is central to these jobs |
For the overall order of sections, see our resume format and resume with no experience guides.
Grades: when to show them and how
Show your grade when it helps you, and leave it off when it doesn't, unless the employer asks for it. As a rough guide, a GPA of 3.5/4.0 or above is worth including in the US; in the UK, a First or a 2:1; in India, a CGPA of about 7.5/10 or a first class.
- Always show the scale. “GPA 3.6/4.0” or “CGPA 8.2/10”, not just “3.6”. Recruiters in another country may not know your university's scale.
- Use the format your university uses. Don't convert a grade into another system yourself unless the application asks for it; conversion formulas differ and you may be asked to justify the number. Credential evaluation services can do it officially if an employer needs it.
- Follow the application's rules. Some employers, graduate programs and government jobs set a minimum GPA or percentage. If the form asks for it, give it exactly as on your transcript.
- Drop grades after a few years of work. Once you have three or four years of experience, almost nobody looks at them.
If your overall GPA is modest but your grades in the courses relevant to the job are strong, you can list those, or your major GPA: “Major GPA 3.7/4.0 · Relevant courses: Financial Accounting (A), Taxation (A), Auditing (A)”.
High school: when to include it
In the US, UK, Canada and Australia, high school drops off the resume as soon as you have a college degree, or once you're a year or two into college. Keep it only if it's your highest qualification, or if you're a first- or second-year student with little else to show.
Lincoln High School · Portland, OR · High School Diploma, June 2025 · GPA 3.8/4.0 National Honor Society · Varsity soccer captain
If you're applying in India: Class 10 and 12 marks
Indian resumes traditionally list Class 10 and Class 12 alongside the degree. Whether you should depends on where you are in your career:
- Freshers applying in India: include them below your degree, especially for campus placements, banks and large IT services firms that screen on them.
- After 2–3 years of work: drop them. Your degree and job history matter far more.
- Applying outside India: leave them off. Employers in the US, UK, Gulf and Europe rarely ask for school results on a resume.
EDUCATION B.Com (Honours) · Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi · 2023–2026 · CGPA 8.1/10 Class XII (CBSE, Commerce) · Delhi Public School, Noida · 2023 · 93.6% Class X (CBSE) · Delhi Public School, Noida · 2021 · 95.2%
The fresher resume example shows a complete page with this layout.
Degrees in progress, unfinished degrees and other special cases
A degree you are still studying for
Write “expected” with the month or year you will finish. This is normal for internship applications and final-year recruiting.
MBA, Finance · University of Michigan, Ross School of Business · Expected May 2027 Current GPA 3.6/4.0 · Relevant courses: Corporate Finance, Valuation, Financial Modeling
A degree you didn't finish
Be honest, but you don't have to dwell on it. List what you completed: the years you attended or the credits you earned. Never list a degree as complete when it isn't; it is one of the easiest things for a background check to verify.
Computer Science coursework (64 credits completed) · Arizona State University · 2021–2023
More than one degree
List them newest first. If you have a master's degree, keep the bachelor's degree to one line.
MBA, Marketing · Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management · 2024–2026 BS, Mechanical Engineering · Purdue University · 2018–2022 · GPA 3.6/4.0
Professional qualifications
Licenses and professional qualifications like the CPA, a JD, an RN license, ACCA or India's CA are often the most important line on the page. Put an earned credential after your name and in its own section, with the year: “Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Illinois, 2025”. For a qualification in progress, give the level reached: “CPA candidate, passed FAR and AUD” or “CA Intermediate, both groups cleared, 2024”. The accountant resume example and chartered accountant resume example show how to place them.
A degree from another country
Add the country after the city for institutions outside the country you are applying to, and give the grade with its scale. If your degree name might be unfamiliar, such as a B.Tech or a three-year bachelor's, keep it but make the subject obvious, and mention a credential evaluation (WES or ECE in the US and Canada) if you have one.
Coursework, honors, projects and online courses
For students and recent graduates, a short line of extras can make the education section do more work. Keep it to one or two lines per degree:
- Relevant coursework: three to six subjects related to the job. Skip it once you have work experience.
- Honors: dean's list, Latin honors (cum laude), merit scholarships, a university rank or medal.
- Thesis or capstone project: the title and one line on the result, if it relates to the job. If projects are your main evidence, give them their own section instead.
- Exchange semesters and summer schools at other institutions.
Online courses (Coursera, edX, Udemy and so on) usually belong in a separate Certifications section, not under Education. Our guide on how to list certifications on a resume covers which ones are worth including and how to format them.
BS, Computer Science · University of Wisconsin–Madison · May 2026 · GPA 3.8/4.0 Dean's List (6 semesters) · Relevant courses: Data Structures, Databases, Operating Systems, Machine Learning Senior capstone: Crop disease detection from leaf photos (92% accuracy on 5,000 test images)
Education for experienced candidates
After a few years of work, shrink the education section to the essentials: degree, institution, year. One line each. Drop coursework, honors and usually your GPA.
EDUCATION MBA, Operations · University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · 2016 BS, Mechanical Engineering · Georgia Institute of Technology · 2013
Some people leave graduation years off to avoid age assumptions. That is allowed, but applicant tracking systems and recruiters may still ask for them, and missing years can draw more attention than the years themselves. If you do remove them, remove them from every degree.
For academic and research roles, the opposite applies: education leads and goes into full detail, with thesis titles, supervisors and dates. Use an academic CV template, and see our guide on CV vs resume for the difference.
Mistakes to avoid
- Missing the grade scale: “3.6” or “8.1” could mean anything. Write “3.6/4.0” or “8.1/10”.
- Listing high school (or Class 10 and 12 marks) after years of work. They take space and make the resume look out of date.
- Inconsistent date formats: “2022–26” in one line and “June 2022 – May 2026” in the next.
- Overstating a degree: listing an unfinished degree as complete, or a diploma as a degree.
- Burying education at the bottom of a recent graduate's resume, under hobbies.
- A “Declaration” line at the end (“I hereby declare…”), still common on Indian resumes. Modern resumes don't need it anywhere. Use the space for something useful.
Applicant tracking systems look for education under a heading they recognize. Call the section “Education”, not “Academic Journey” or “Qualifications Profile”. The free ATS checker shows whether it can find your degree.