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College student resume example

A complete resume for a college junior with campus jobs, a research role and student leadership, plus summaries, bullet points and skills.

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College student resume example for Grace Nakamura, in the Harvard template
Grace Nakamura, Economics Student, in the Harvard template

What hiring managers look for

Recruiters and campus employers reading a student resume expect a short work history, so they look at what you've done with your time. Your major, GPA and graduation date go near the top, then campus jobs, research or lab roles, leadership in student organizations and projects from relevant courses. The students who get callbacks put a number on each line and show they balanced school with real responsibility.

This example belongs to a junior majoring in economics with a minor in data science. Education leads, followed by a research assistant role and two campus jobs, then leadership and skills. Freshmen can lean more on high school achievements, and seniors heading into full-time jobs can push education lower once they've had an internship or two.

College student resume summary examples

College junior

Economics junior with a data science minor and a 3.7 GPA, working 15 hours a week while in school. Cleans and analyzes survey data in R and Excel as a research assistant, leads a 40-member investment club and trains new staff at the campus library. Looking for a summer 2027 role in research or finance.

Freshman

First-year biology student with a 3.6 GPA in the fall term and a part-time job at the campus dining hall. Former high school swim captain and a volunteer at the county hospital, looking for a lab assistant or research role on campus.

Graduating senior

Graduating senior in marketing with 2 internships, a campus brand ambassador role and a 3.5 GPA. Grew a student club's Instagram from 400 to 3,100 followers and ran a campus event for 900 students. Seeking a full-time role in brand marketing.

Working student

Community college student in accounting who works 30 hours a week as a bookkeeping assistant while carrying a full course load. Reconciles accounts for 15 small business clients in QuickBooks and plans to transfer to a four-year program next fall.

College student resume bullet points

Strong bullets start with what you did and end with what changed. Borrow the pattern, then use your own numbers.

  • Tutored 25 students a semester in calculus at the campus learning center, with 4.9 out of 5 feedback.
  • Raised $12,000 for a children's hospital as fundraising chair of a 90-member dance marathon team.
  • Built a Python script that cut the lab's weekly data entry from 6 hours to 30 minutes.
  • Led a 4-person class project that analyzed bus ridership for the city transit agency, presented to its board.
  • Worked 20 hours a week at the campus rec center while keeping a 3.5 GPA.
  • Planned orientation for 300 incoming students as a peer advisor, running 12 small-group sessions.
  • Wrote 15 articles for the student newspaper's business section, including a front-page story on tuition.
  • Managed a $8,000 club budget as treasurer and closed the year with a surplus for the first time in 3 years.

Skills for a college student resume

Skills job postings ask for

  • Microsoft Excel
  • PowerPoint and Google Slides
  • Research and citation
  • Data analysis (R, Python or SPSS)
  • Writing and editing
  • Social media and Canva
  • Event planning
  • Budgeting
  • A second language
  • Customer service

Skills to show in your bullets

  • Time management
  • Leadership
  • Initiative
  • Teamwork
  • Clear writing

List the skills a posting names in its own words, and only the ones you can talk about in an interview. Qualities like these read best as results in your bullets, not as a list.

Tips for writing a college student resume

  1. 1

    Put education first, with the details that count

    Major, minor, expected graduation date and GPA (if 3.0 or higher) belong at the top. Add relevant coursework, honors and Dean's List.

  2. 2

    Treat campus jobs like real jobs

    Library, dining, rec center and residence hall work show reliability. Give them bullets with numbers, such as questions answered or people trained.

  3. 3

    Show leadership with a result

    "Treasurer" is a title; "managed an $8,000 budget and ended with a surplus" is an accomplishment. Do this for every club role.

  4. 4

    Drop high school by junior year

    Once you have a year or two of college jobs and activities, remove high school details unless they're truly standout, like a national award.

Campus roles, coursework and projects

College gives you more to list than most students realize. Choose the items that match the job you want, and give each one a line that shows what you did and how well it went. Keep the most relevant at the top of each section.

  • Research assistant and lab positions
  • Teaching assistant, tutor or peer mentor roles
  • Officer roles in student organizations, with budgets or members
  • Class projects for real clients or community partners
  • Study abroad, with what you studied or did
  • Honors, scholarships and Dean's List

Make it yours

Your college student resume, in three steps

  1. 1Tell your story

    Talk to the resume expert, or import your old resume.

  2. 2Start in Harvard

    Use the design from this example, or switch any time.

  3. 3Check it and apply

    Fix what the ATS flags, then download your PDF.

Questions about college student resumes

Something else? Email us

Should a college student include high school on a resume?

Freshmen and sophomores can keep standout high school achievements, such as a varsity captaincy or state award. By junior year, college work and activities should replace them.

How long should a college student resume be?

One page. Recruiters spend little time on each student resume, so keep only what's relevant and give each line a number or result.

Should I put my GPA on my resume?

Include it if it's 3.0 or higher, or if the employer asks for it. You can list your major GPA instead if it's stronger than your overall GPA, as long as you label it clearly.

Can I use this college student resume example as my own?

Use it as a model for the structure and the wording, then fill it with your own experience and numbers. Build yours in the same Harvard template, or switch to another design at any time without losing your content.

Be the candidate they call back

Build your college student resume with this example as your guide, fit it to each job and check it before you apply. Start free, no credit card.

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