How to write a CV as a university student
Put your degree and expected graduation date first, then term-time work, campus jobs and society roles as real entries with your title, dates and one result each. Show a GPA or average only when it helps, with its scale.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
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Sort what you do into three piles
A student CV goes wrong when everything from the last two years lands in one long list. Before writing, sort it into paid work (on or off campus), positions of responsibility (society committees, course rep, ambassador schemes) and plain memberships. Each pile is written differently.
| Pile | Example | How much space it gets |
|---|---|---|
| Paid work | Library assistant, students' union bar, supermarket weekends | Its own entry: employer, title, months, hours a week, one or two bullets |
| Positions of responsibility | Treasurer of the hiking society, course rep, open-day ambassador | Its own entry with bullets, under Experience or a Leadership heading |
| Memberships | Member of the chess club, the debating society | One line in an Activities list, with years |
For every item in the first two piles, note the month you started, the month you stopped (or "present"), and one thing that is different because you were there.
Campus jobs: what they are and how to name them
Prospects lists the jobs universities and students' unions commonly offer: admin assistant, IT support, library work, resident assistant in halls, shifts in union shops, bars and cafés, student or campus ambassador at open days, and student content creator. It notes that institutions recommend working no more than 20 hours a week in term time, that not every university allows students to work alongside study, and that international students must stay within their visa's hours.
| Campus role | Employer to write | What to measure |
|---|---|---|
| Student ambassador | The university (department or recruitment office) | Open days worked, group sizes, events supported |
| Resident assistant | The university, accommodation office | Number of residents, incidents handled, events run |
| Library or IT helpdesk assistant | The university library or IT service | Queries a shift, systems used, opening hours covered |
| Students' union bar or shop | The students' union | Shifts a week, till and stock tasks, training others |
| Student content creator | The university marketing team | Pieces published, platforms, views if you have them |
Name the employer and the title correctly
"Campus job" is not a title and "the uni" is not an employer. Write the title on your contract and the body that paid you: the university, its library, or the students' union. A reference check goes to that body.
Off-campus part-time work counts just as much
A supermarket or café job held through a degree shows that you managed hours and study for years. Keep it on the CV in your final year too, with the hours a week, because the combination is the point.
Society and club roles: where student leadership shows
Harvard's student resume template says leadership and activities follow the same format as experience, emphasising roles and contributions. Carnegie Mellon's career centre asks for clubs and organisations you are an active member of, with the years and any leadership positions, most recent first.
Committee role or membership
A committee role gets an entry with bullets, like a job: "Treasurer, Hiking Society, Sep 2025 to Jun 2026: managed a £6,000 budget; moved minibus bookings to a shared calendar." A membership gets one line in an Activities list. Writing "Member, Chess Club" with three bullets invites the question of what you actually did.
Experience or a separate Leadership heading
Carnegie Mellon notes the experience section can include work, volunteer or leadership experience, and suggests specific headings so the most relevant comes first. If your strongest evidence is a society role, put it under Experience above a weekend job. If you have several, a Leadership and Activities heading keeps the paid work separate.
Grades: when to show a GPA, and how
Grades on a student CV are a choice, not a rule, except that whatever you write must be exact. Prospects warns that altering a degree grade, for example from a 2:2 to a 2:1, is classed as degree fraud.
| System | What the source says | How the line looks |
|---|---|---|
| US GPA (4.0 scale) | Carnegie Mellon: include it if it is 3.0 or above. Harvard's template lists GPA in the education section. | BS Computer Science, expected May 2028. GPA 3.4/4.0 |
| US, first-year students | MIT: its first-year students, graded pass or no record in their first semester, can write GPA: N/A until they have an official GPA, typically at the end of the second semester. | GPA: N/A (first-year grading) |
| UK degree classification | Prospects: misstating the grade is degree fraud. Before results, say what the number is. | BSc Economics, expected June 2028. Second-year average 64% |
| Turkish GANO (4.00 scale) | YÖK's conversion table gives the 100-point equivalent: 3.00 is 76.66, 3.50 is 88.33, 2.50 is 65. | GANO 3.12/4.00 |
If your average does not help
Leave it off unless the employer or the form asks. Put the weight on a strong module mark, a project grade or a scholarship instead. If an application form asks for the average, give it exactly; the CV and the form must match.
Example: a second-year student's one-page CV
Illustrative example. Daniel Okafor and every detail are invented; the lines show the form, not facts to copy.
- Daniel Okafor · Nottingham · daniel.okafor@example.com · 07700 900321 · github.com/dokafor-example
- Education: BSc Computer Science, a university in the East Midlands, Sep 2024 to Jun 2027 (expected). Second-year average 67%. Modules: Databases, Software Engineering Group Project, Algorithms.
- Experience: IT Helpdesk Assistant (8 hours a week), university IT service, Oct 2025 to present. Answers about 25 walk-in and email queries a shift; wrote three how-to pages for the Wi-Fi setup that the service now links from its FAQ.
- Experience: Bar staff (12 hours a week), the students' union, Sep 2024 to Jun 2025. Worked Friday and Saturday closing shifts; trained four new starters on the till.
- Leadership: Treasurer, Hiking Society, Sep 2025 to present. Manages a £6,000 annual budget and 140 members' trip payments; cut minibus hire cost by booking termly instead of per trip.
- Activities: Member, Robotics Club (2024 to present). Volunteer coding tutor, local library, 2025.
- Skills: Python, SQL (PostgreSQL), Git, Java basics; English (native), Yoruba (conversational).
Why it is in this order
| Part | What it tells the reader |
|---|---|
| Education first, with the expected date | When he can start full time, and that he is on track |
| IT helpdesk above the bar job | The role closest to a technical job leads; the bar job still shows a full year of weekend shifts |
| Treasurer under Leadership | Money, members and a decision that saved cost, without padding the Experience section |
| Membership on one line | Interest in robotics, without pretending it was a role |
Proof: sources read on 13 October 2026
| Claim | Source |
|---|---|
| Types of campus jobs; no more than 20 hours a week in term; check your university and visa | Prospects, Student jobs at university (August 2025) |
| Altering a degree grade is degree fraud | Prospects, How to write a CV (May 2025) |
| Leadership and activities in the experience format; GPA and thesis in education | Harvard Mignone Center, Create a strong resume |
| GPA: N/A for first-year students until an official GPA | MIT CAPD, Resumes |
| GPA of 3.0 or above; clubs with years and leadership positions | Carnegie Mellon Career and Professional Development Center, Resume quick tips |
| 4.00-scale to 100-point equivalents | YÖK, 4'lük sistemdeki notların 100'lük sistemdeki karşılıkları |
Where this page stops
- Internships and placements: the internship resume guide covers coursework, projects and the internship cover letter.
- Hours you may legally work on a UK Student visa: the UK student part-time CV guide.
- Werkstudent jobs in Germany, where your enrolment and hours shape the CV: the Werkstudent guide.
- Your final year, applying for graduate jobs: the new graduate CV guide puts the dissertation and profile first.
- School pupils looking for a first job: the high school student CV guide.
Next steps
- Update the CV at the end of every term while the numbers are fresh: shifts, members, budgets, events.
- Ask your society president or shift manager now whether they would act as a referee.
- Run the file through the free checker on this page; it needs no account and flags missing contact details, unrecognised dates and layout a parser may misread.
- CitedCV writes the CV from facts you confirm. At student level it keeps the CV to one page and at most four bullets per role, and asks which project or task is closest to the job you want.
Questions people ask
What should a university student put on a CV?
Your degree with the expected graduation date, relevant modules, paid work on or off campus, society and course-rep roles, volunteering, specific skills and languages. Give each role a title, dates and one result.
How do I list a campus job on my CV?
As a normal job entry: the title on your contract, the body that paid you (the university, its library or the students' union), the months, hours a week and one or two bullets with a number.
Should I put my GPA on my CV?
In the US, if it is 3.0 or above, Carnegie Mellon's career centre advises. Elsewhere, include it when it helps or when asked, always exactly and with its scale.
What if my GPA or average is low?
Leave it off the CV unless asked, and lead with a strong module, project mark, scholarship or role instead. If an application form asks for it, give the exact figure.
How do I put a society or club role on my CV?
A committee role gets its own entry with the title, society, dates and bullets on what you managed. A plain membership goes on one line in an Activities list with the years.
Is a part-time café or bar job worth putting on a student CV?
Yes. It shows you managed shifts and study at the same time. Give the hours a week and one detail, such as training new staff or handling closing.
How many hours should a student work during term?
Prospects says institutions recommend no more than 20 hours a week in term time. Some universities restrict work, and international students must stay within their visa conditions.
Should a first-year student include school grades on a CV?
Briefly, yes, until university results replace them. Harvard's template allows high school information in the education section, and MIT lets first-years write GPA: N/A.
Sources
- Prospects: Student jobs at university (August 2025)www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/work-experience-and-internships/student-jobs-at-university
- Prospects: How to write a CV (May 2025)www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cv
- Harvard Mignone Center for Career Success: Create a strong resumecareerservices.fas.harvard.edu/resources/create-a-strong-resume/
- MIT Career Advising & Professional Development: Resumescapd.mit.edu/resources/resumes/
- Carnegie Mellon University Career and Professional Development Center: Resume quick tipswww.cmu.edu/career/documents/quick-tips/resume.pdf
- YÖK: 4'lük sistemdeki notların 100'lük sistemdeki karşılıklarıpersonel.yok.gov.tr/documentFiles/17532690942.4luk%20sistemin%20100%20luk%20sistemde%20ki%20karsiligi.pdf