How to List Education on Your Resume – with Examples

Where you place your education on your resume matters. What you include in your resume Education section also matters. 

Employers need to know you have the minimum qualifications to succeed in the role that you’re applying for, which generally includes a minimum education level. Additionally, your education can demonstrate specialist knowledge in your field and, even if it's not directly related to your current career path, can indicate that you have the capacity for high-level learning. 

If an employer reviews your resume and can’t easily find the educational parameters they’re seeking, your resume will quickly go in the “no thank you” pile. 

Top considerations for your resume Education section

It sounds simple initially – when listing education on your resume, you just add the degrees you've obtained and the schools where you got them. 

But it’s not quite that simple. 

In some instances, it may be appropriate to include your GPA, some relevant coursework, or even give a nod to a major project you worked on. Much of this depends on whether you're fresh out of school or have some experience under your belt. 

Here are some other things to consider when writing the Education section of your resume:

• What are hiring managers looking for in terms of education?

• Should your resume Education section go at the top or bottom of your resume?

• Do you include a degree that’s in progress?

• When do high school or GEDs belong on a resume?

• What's the best resume education format?

How hiring managers assess education

Leaving your education off your resume or not optimizing it properly can negatively impact your job prospects. That said, it’s essential to understand the key pieces of information employers consider when they glance at your Education section. 

Employers typically hone in on the following key details:

• Degree relevance: Do you have a degree relevant to the position you’re applying for?

• Degree level: Do you have an associate's, bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree? Some jobs require a specific level of education, such as a master's degree, and having higher-level degrees is an indication of additional knowledge in the field.

• School or program accreditation: Accreditation signifies that the degree program meets specific standards and criteria established by a recognized accrediting body. Most employers require degrees from colleges that are accredited. Some also require that your specific program be accredited through the proper credentialing board. 

For example, business schools can be accredited through the IACBE, ACBSP, or AACSB. Counseling programs can receive accreditation through CACREP. 

• GPA: For entry-level positions, employers will often look for your GPA. Although it’s not required to include your GPA, including it if you have a 3.5 or higher can be beneficial. 

• Certifications: Some jobs require a specific certification, and if it’s not prominent on the candidate’s resume, employers will likely move on to another resume. 

Where to put education on a resume

The placement of education on your resume is generally based on your career level. 

If you are a recent graduate or entry-level professional with less than three to five years of experience, your education will typically go near the top of your resume. This is because it’ll be the most relevant piece of information that employers need.

As an experienced professional with five or more years of experience, you’ll place education further down on your resume, typically below the Work Experience section.  

Recent graduate or entry-level employee

As a recent graduate with less than five years of experience, you’ll likely highlight relevant coursework first by placing your resume Education section near the top of your resume.  Why? If you're new to the workforce, your degree is your main selling point because:

• You likely have limited professional experience to list on your resume

• Your education shows the main knowledge and skills that you wish to highlight for an employer

College graduate or entry-level with relevant experience

An exception to prioritizing your education at the top of your resume as an entry-level employee is if you have accumulated a fair amount of relevant hands-on experience during college through avenues such as part-time jobs, internships, co-ops, work-study programs, or graduate assistantships.

In that case, you might choose to move education below your Work Experience section, especially once you’ve accumulated at least three years of professional experience after graduating from college. 

It comes down to what is most relevant and significant for employers to know about you first. If you’re someone who has accumulated significant hands-on relevant experience by the time you graduate with your degree, it could stand out to employers and give you an edge.

Experienced professionals 

If you earned a degree or certification more than five years ago, place your Education near the bottom of your resume. Doing so will allow you to focus your resume on your skills, accomplishments, and professional experience, which matter most to employers.

For those who have many years of experience, academic education becomes less and less important as you move forward in your career. Your professional career and experiences will hold more weight as your career advances. 

Expert tip: As an experienced professional, remove your graduation date from your resume. It's essential to demonstrate you've earned the degree, but there's no need to draw attention to how long ago this occurred.

Freelancer or independent contractor

If you’re a freelancer contractor, you’ll still include your education on your resume based on your years of experience. In other words, if you’re an experienced contractor who has a lot of projects to include, that will be the most valuable information to list first. Your education will be listed below that. 

On the contrary, if you are starting out as a contractor or freelancer, you might choose to include your Education section near the top of your resume, especially if it emphasizes your line of freelance work and the skills you possess to support it. 

Additional places to mention education on a resume

It’s true that the primary place you’ll include education on your resume is in the Education section, but there are other areas of your resume where you might benefit from mentioning your education and certifications. 

• Resume contact section: Your resume contact section at the beginning of your resume, which includes your name, contact details, and location, is a great place to list certifications or your degree level (e.g., PhD, MS) when required for the job. For example: “Mally Smith, CPA.” 

• Resume summary. A resume summary summarizes your resume in three to five brief sentences. It includes your top career highlights and skills, and can also include your degree or certifications. For example: “Professional Videographer with an MA in Film & Media Productions. Skilled at…”

• Core competencies. It’s a smart move to include a few key competencies near the top of your resume and just below your Resume Summary. You can choose to include significant or required certifications in your list of core competencies. 

What to include in your resume Education section 

As with much of resume writing, the content and format of your resume Education section is fluid and will depend on where you are in your career. Still, it's important that you get it right to prove you're qualified for the job you want. 

First, you’ll want to label your Education section appropriately. You have a few subheading options to choose from, depending on what types of education you’re including. Here are a few considerations:

• Education

• Education & Certifications

• Education & Training

• Education & Credentials

Now, let’s look at the summary of what details to include in the resume Education section, broken out by the mandatory and optional pieces of information to consider. 

Required information for experienced and entry-level professionals

The following information is required for both experienced and entry-level candidates. 

Degree earned

When you finally graduated and received your diploma, what did it say? For example, you may have achieved a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Whatever it was, it's the most crucial educational detail you can put on your resume, because it's the official designation of your education.

One key thing to remember is to list your degrees in reverse chronological order. That means you start with the most recent one (which is likely to be your highest) and work backward. Once you get into college, there is no reason to include high school education. Employers know that you have to finish high school to get into college, so they'll assume you graduated. 

An exception to listing your degrees in reverse chronological order is if you’re changing careers. In that case, your strategy might be to include your most relevant degree, rather than your most recent degree, at the top of your Education section. 

Major

Remember that one degree type can be applied to a variety of fields of study. For example, a Bachelor of Science degree can be earned in both physics and computer science. Therefore, in addition to the degree itself, you must include the major for which the degree was earned. This way, a hiring manager knows exactly what topics you've studied and can identify the relevance of your education to the job. 

If you have completed any minors or concentrations relevant to the job, you can also include those. If your minor isn’t directly applicable to the position you’re applying to, use discretion as to whether including it adds value or merely takes up space.

University, college, or institution

Add some context to your education by listing the university, college, or institution where you went to school. This is especially important if you attended a well-respected program in your field, because it will add more credibility and gravitas to your resume. Though not required, most include the location of the institution, as well. 

Certifications 

Outside of formal education, you may also have taken the initiative to earn supplementary certifications or complete courses that are relevant to your field. Highlight these in your resume Education section, especially if they are on niche or high-level topics that prove your expertise far beyond a more generalized curriculum. 

When listing certifications, include the name of the certification, the issuing organization, the date it was issued, and the expiration date (if applicable). You may also want to include the specific skills you acquired through the certification. Here are a few examples that take each of these scenarios into account:

Certified Nursing Assistant

City College of Burbank, July 2021

Certified Information Systems Analyst, December 2024 International Information System Security Certification Consortium

Skills: Asset Security, Software Development, Cybersecurity, Risk Management

Public Notary, NY

Secretary of State, Issued July 2023 Renewal date: July 2027

Special training

If you’ve acquired relevant training outside of a degree, trade, or certification program, you have the option to include it in your Education section. You would include similar information to what you include for certifications: the name of the training program, the organization that developed the training or the training platform, and the year you completed it. Here’s an example:

Marketing Strategy for Business | LinkedIn Learning | 2025

Optional information for experienced and entry-level professionals

You have the option to include additional information in your Education section if it will make your resume more attractive to employers.

Years attended 

The timeframe you were in school is generally something you don't need to worry about, unless you're still in school or graduated within the last year. Additionally, you may want to include the dates you attended school if you need to explain a gap in your employment history. Outside of these conditions, you should leave off the timeframe. 

Degree conferral date

Similar to the years attended, there is no need to include the date your degree was conferred unless you graduated within the last year. 

GPA

Whether or not you include your GPA in the Education section of a resume depends on many factors. If you earned your degree 20 years ago, your GPA is likely a defunct measure of your current abilities, so you can leave it off. If you earned your degree recently, however, adding your GPA can be a great move – but only if it's 3.5 or higher. 

Special awards or distinctions

You can indicate any special awards or distinctions you earned while in school if you believe they add value. For example, you might add distinctions based on your grades, such as summa cum laude, if applicable.

Extracurricular activities

If you were in an honors society, you could list your membership. If you were part of a fraternity or sorority, it's a toss-up. While you might think this is a good inclusion because it demonstrates you were participating in service-related activities and so on, Greek rivalries can extend way past college years, and you wouldn't want to accidentally tip off your hiring manager that you belonged to a rival group.

In most instances, if you graduated more than 10 years ago, leave the extracurricular activities off. Your professional experience will be most significant when compared to college-related extracurricular activities.

How to include education on your resume: special considerations

If you’re someone who doesn’t have a college degree, a partial degree, an advanced degree, or a degree in progress, you might still have questions about the Education section of your resume. 

Incomplete education

If you attended college but didn't graduate, you may want to list the relevant courses you took – especially if you made it to some of the higher-level classes – to demonstrate the skills you built or the disciplines you were exposed to during your coursework.

Here’s an example of how to represent an incomplete degree on your resume:

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s in Economics

University Name | Anytown, Anystate

Oct. 2022 to Dec. 2024

Relevant courses: Business Statistics, International Relations, Risk Analysis, Advanced Economics

Education in progress

If you're still attending college for either your undergraduate or graduate degree, you can simply add an expected graduation year to this information. 

You can also add a list of courses you've completed, as long as:

• They're courses that are relevant to your career goals

• You don't have a lot of relevant work experience to market on your resume

Here’s how to represent a degree in progress on your resume:

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts - English Literature | University Name | Expected December 2025 | GPA 3.9

Courses: Cultural Contexts, Historical Literature, Drama Concepts, Psychology in Writing, Advanced Literature Concepts

Advanced degrees

Once you enter the world of Master's degrees and PhDs, the Education section of your resume becomes more robust and might include things such as the title of a dissertation, fellowships, or publications. 

As before, always start with your most recent degree and work backward. Here's how to present education on your resume as an example showing higher degrees:

EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy – Sociology | ABC University 

International Student Scholar

Dissertation: Exploring the Relationships of Sex Offenders and Their Parents

Master of Arts – Counseling Education | ABC University 

Bachelor of Science – Human Resources (summa cum laude) | University of XYZ

High school diploma or GED 

Attending college may not be among the goals you've set for your life. That's okay.

Even if you decide to graduate from high school and go straight to work, your career can still be rich and full. At this point, however, many people wonder whether they should include high school on their resume. 

A few rules of thumb about adding high school to the Education section of your resume:

• Exclude high school altogether if you go to college

• Exclude high school if you've attended trade school

• Include high school if you have no additional education, professional development, or certifications

• Include high school if the job description specifically mentions that you need a high school diploma

• Include high school if you're applying for a job while still in high school

Here are resume education examples you can refer to if your education ended with high school or a GED:

EDUCATION

High School Diploma | XYZ High School 

Relevant courses: Accounting, Finance, Statistics

EDUCATION

GED | WV Department of Education 

Expert tip: Just because high school is the highest level of education you've obtained, that doesn't mean you can't take the opportunity to inject some relevant keywords into your resume. In the example above, the applicant has used the keyword accounting. That will make sure that their resume can be found when a recruiter searches their database for applicants with knowledge of accounting. 

Undergraduate degrees

Once you graduate from college and start searching for your first entry-level position, it's assumed that you'll remove any information that refers to your high school activities and focus on your new undergrad degree. To reiterate:

• Include your degree and major

• Add the name of the school where you obtained the degree

• Throw in some extras, like achievements, coursework, and affiliations

The last point about adding extras is extremely important if you have little to no work experience. Mentioning that you were a Resident Advisor or won first place in a robotics competition could be the detail that puts your resume at the top of the yes pile. 

Related reading:  Tailoring Your Resume to Different Jobs 

When you started college in one place and finished in another

If you attended college at one institution – perhaps a community college – and then completed your education in another place, you only need to list the university where you completed your degree. 

All the employer wants to know is which college supplied you with your degree at the end of your education; they don't necessarily care about how you arrived at that destination. Save that resume space for more important information.

Trade schools

If you choose to go to a trade school instead of a traditional college to launch your career, you’ll include the name of the program, school, and your training or certification. Here’s an example of how to include a trade school on your resume:

Education

Program Name or Certification Name

School Name Anytown, Anystate

Resume Education section examples

Below are a few more Education section examples to refer to as you develop your own. 

Advanced degree with certification

Master’s of Education in Psychology | College Name | Anytown, Anystate

Bachelor of Psychology | College Name | Anytown, Anystate

Certification: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) | ProArmor | 2024

Major with a minor

Bachelor of Arts in Finance

Minor in Accounting

University Name, Anytown, Anystat

Recent graduate or entry-level professional - undergraduate degree with special recognition and certification 

Bachelor of Business Administration | University Name | 2024

• Dean's list - summa cum laude

• President - Marketing Club

Certification: Project Management Professional (PMP) | Project Management Institute | 2024

Undergraduate degree with certification 

Bachelor of Communications | XYZ University | Anywhere, TX

Certification: Certified Communications Specialist | Coursera | 2022

Can I use AI to write the Education section of my resume? 

While AI can offer advice on how to write your Education section, we strongly recommend against asking it to write it for you. Firstly, the AI will only produce generic wording – nothing about it will be unique to you. Secondly, recruiters and hiring managers can easily spot AI-generated content from a mile away. 

If hiring teams think you're not putting the effort into your application or trying to cut corners, that's an immediate mark against your name. Show that you're an applicant who is willing to take the time to craft a unique, personal, and impactful document. 

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Key takeaways on how to list education on your resume

Presenting your education on your resume in a thoughtful way can open a lot of employment doors. Here's what you should keep in mind as you write it:

• The way you list education on your resume depends on what stage of your career you're at

• The main components of your Education section are degree, major, school, and certifications

• Tailor your Education section based on the keywords and qualifications mentioned in the job posting

• Be honest about ongoing education or degrees you've decided not to complete

• Include degrees that are in progress with an expected graduation date

• The education format on your resume will vary depending on how much detail you need to add

Use the Education section to your best advantage

Remember, there isn't one resume format or layout that fits all job seekers. How you list education on your resume requires a strategic approach that depends on where you are in your career and the roles you're aiming for.

Find out if you're showcasing your education well on your resume by getting a free resume review from TopResume.

This article was updated by Ronda Suder in 2025. It contains work by Amanda Augustine, Lauren Settembrino, Heather Rothbauer-Wanish, Marsha Hebert, and Jen David.