CV Format for Students: A Simple Guide

Whether you are applying for an internship, a part-time job or a scholarship, a good student CV shows what you can do even without a long work history.

The best format for students

Use a one-page, single-column CV with clear headings. Because you have limited experience, begin with education and skills, then add experience and activities.

Sections to include

• Contact details
• Short personal statement
• Education
• Skills
• Work experience, internships or volunteering
• Projects and coursework
• Achievements, awards and activities
• Languages and references on request

Personal statement

Two or three lines is enough. Mention your course, your strengths and what you are applying for. For example: Second-year computer science student with experience in Python and web development, seeking a summer software internship.

Education section tips

• List your most recent education first
• Include your expected graduation date
• Add relevant modules, projects or a dissertation topic
• Include grades if they are strong

What counts as experience for a student?

• Part-time jobs, even if unrelated, since they show reliability and customer skills
• Internships and work placements
• Volunteering and community work
• Student society or leadership roles
• Freelance projects and tutoring

For each, describe what you did and the result in one or two bullets.

Design and formatting

• Use a readable font such as Arial or Calibri
• Keep margins around 1 inch and text size 10 to 12 pt
• Avoid photos, colors and graphics unless the field is creative
• Save as PDF