How to list education on a resume

Where to place your education section

Placement depends on how much relevant work experience you have. If you have fewer than two years of experience, or if you are a recent graduate, put education directly after your summary or contact details. If you have more than two years of relevant experience, move education below your work history so employers see your track record first.

There is one exception: licensed professions. If the job posting requires a specific degree or professional qualification, such as a nursing registration or a CPA designation, keep education near the top regardless of your experience level. The credential is a gate, and the reader needs to see you pass it quickly.

• Less than two years of experience: education near the top
• More than two years of experience: education below work history
• Licensed or regulated roles: education near the top always
• Career changers: education near the top if the new field requires the degree

What to include in each education entry

Each entry should give the reader four things: the name of the institution, the degree and field of study, the location, and the graduation date or expected graduation date. Keep the format consistent across all entries.

A clean template looks like this: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, May 2024. If you are still enrolled, write Expected May 2026 instead of a past date. Do not write Anticipated or To be completed; Expected is the standard phrasing that applicant tracking systems recognise.

• Institution name (official name, not abbreviation unless the abbreviation is universally known, such as MIT or UCLA)
• Degree type and field of study
• City and country or state
• Graduation month and year, or Expected month and year

How to list an incomplete degree

Do not hide an incomplete degree and do not omit it. Completed coursework is real evidence of knowledge, and leaving a gap in your timeline raises more questions than the incomplete degree does.

If you left before graduating, write the years you attended and add the number of credits completed or the percentage of the program finished. For example: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of Melbourne, 2019 to 2021, completed 60 of 96 credit points. If you are still enrolled part-time, use the Expected date format described above.

If you left for a reason you are comfortable sharing, such as a family situation or a career opportunity, you can address it briefly in a cover letter. Your resume does not need to explain it.

• Attended: list the years you were enrolled
• Completed X of Y credits or credit points
• Do not write Incomplete or Did not graduate on the resume itself
• Relevant coursework: list up to five courses if they match the job description

When to include your GPA

Include your GPA if it is 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale and you graduated within the last three years. Below 3.5, leave it out. Employers rarely ask for it unless the posting specifically requests it, and a low GPA draws attention to itself.

If you include GPA, write it with the scale so the reader knows the context: GPA 3.7 / 4.0. In the UK and Australia, use your degree classification instead: First Class Honours or 2:1 Honours. In Canada, conventions vary by province and institution, so follow whatever your transcript shows and include the scale.

Latin honours such as Magna Cum Laude are worth including if you received them. Place them on the same line as the degree: Bachelor of Science in Finance, Magna Cum Laude.

How to format international qualifications

If you earned your degree outside the country where you are applying, hiring managers may not recognise the institution or the credential structure. Your job is to make it readable without misrepresenting what you earned.

Write the degree name in English, then add the original name in parentheses if it differs significantly. Follow it with the institution name, country, and year. For example: Bachelor of Engineering (Ingenieur Diplome), Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France, 2022.

If your qualification has been formally evaluated by a credential assessment body, such as WES in Canada, NACES members in the US, NARIC in the UK, or AITSL in Australia, note the equivalency on a separate line: Credential evaluated as equivalent to a Canadian Bachelor of Engineering by World Education Services, 2023. This removes ambiguity and signals that you have already done the work of translating your background.

• Write the degree name in English first
• Add the original name in parentheses if it differs
• Include the country of the institution
• Note any formal credential evaluation and the body that conducted it
• Do not inflate the credential: if it is a three-year bachelor's degree, say so

Certifications, bootcamps, and online courses

Professional certifications belong in your education section or in a separate Certifications section directly below it. Use a separate section if you have three or more certifications, because it makes them easier to scan. Include the certification name, the issuing body, and the year you earned it. If the certification expires, add the expiry year: AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services, 2024, valid through 2027.

Bootcamps and intensive programs are worth listing if they are relevant to the role and lasted at least eight weeks. Treat them like any other education entry. Online courses from platforms such as Coursera or LinkedIn Learning are generally not worth listing unless you completed a full specialisation or the course is directly named in the job posting.

Do not list every online course you have ever taken. A long list of short courses signals that you are padding the section rather than demonstrating depth.

Tailoring your education section to each job

Most candidates write one education section and paste it into every application. A small amount of tailoring makes a real difference. If the posting emphasises a specific skill area, add a Relevant Coursework line under your degree and list three to five courses that match. If the posting asks for a credential you are working toward, list it with an Expected date.

Break-In Bad's resume enhancement feature walks you through up to 20 questions about your background, including your education, and uses your answers to rewrite each section so it aligns with the specific job you are applying for. Omar checks every line against what you told her and keeps your original on file, so nothing is invented or exaggerated. This is useful when you have a non-traditional education history, such as an incomplete degree combined with certifications, and you want to present it in the strongest honest way.