College student resume: an illustrative example and what to put first.
When you are in college, your education, projects, campus roles and part-time jobs are your experience. The work is to describe them the way you would describe a job: what you did and what came of it.
Put education near the top of a college student resume: school, degree, expected graduation date and relevant coursework. Follow it with experience you can describe with results: internships, part-time jobs, research, class projects, campus leadership and volunteering. Keep it to one page, write bullets that start with action verbs, and tailor the skills section to each posting.
Illustrative examples to adapt
Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.
College student resume
When to use: Students applying for internships or a first job after graduation.
Avery Chen (illustrative) [City, State] · [email] · [phone] · [LinkedIn URL] EDUCATION B.S., [Major], [University] | Expected [Month Year] Relevant coursework: [Course 1], [Course 2], [Course 3] PROJECTS [Project name], [Course or club] | [Month Year] - Built [what you made] with [number] classmates, using [tool], which [result or grade you can prove] EXPERIENCE Student assistant, [Campus office], [University] | [Month Year] to present - Answered [number] student questions a week and updated [system or records] Campus job or part-time role, [Employer] | [Month Year] to [Month Year] - [Action verb] [what you did], which [result] LEADERSHIP AND ACTIVITIES [Role], [Club or team] | [Month Year] to present - [Action verb] [event or project] for [number] members SKILLS [Software, languages and lab skills you have actually used]
Internship bullet rewrites
When to use: Turning class and club work into resume lines.
- Analyzed [dataset or case] for [course name], presenting findings to [audience]; earned [grade or feedback you can show] - Organized [event] for [number] attendees as [club role], managing a [number] budget - Tutored [number] students a week in [subject] through [program]
Disclosure: TryHired makes HIRED, a paid job-search program, so we have a conflict of interest when we mention it. Every sample on this page is free to use without buying anything.
What goes where on a student resume
| Section | What to include | Skip |
|---|---|---|
| Education | Degree, school, expected graduation, honors, relevant coursework | High school once you are in your second year of college |
| Projects | Class, research or personal projects with what you built and the outcome | Projects you can't explain in an interview |
| Experience | Internships, part-time jobs, campus jobs, research assistant roles | Duties without results |
| Leadership | Club officer roles, team captain, event organizing | Memberships with nothing you did |
| Skills | Software, languages and lab methods you have used | Soft-skill adjectives |
The same line, rewritten
Illustrative example with placeholders.
| Version | Example |
|---|---|
| Weak | Member of the marketing club. Responsible for social media. |
| Strong | Social media lead, [Club name]: planned and posted [number] campaigns a semester, growing event sign-ups from [number] to [number]. |
Why it matters: Membership alone shows nothing you did. The strong line names your role, the work and a before-and-after result you must be able to support.
Mistakes to avoid
- Listing coursework that has nothing to do with the job.
- Leaving out part-time jobs because they seem unrelated: they show reliability and real skills.
- Writing a two-page resume as a student.
- Putting your GPA on the resume when it doesn't help and the posting doesn't ask for it.
- Using a school email you will lose after graduation.
Build yours
Questions people ask
Should a college student resume be one page?
Should I include high school on my college resume?
What if I have no work experience?
Should I put my GPA on my resume?
How this page is built
Written by Maid Dizdarevic, a career coach and 8x LinkedIn Top Voice. Advice is labelled as advice. Every sample uses a fictional person marked '(illustrative)' or a 'Your name' placeholder, and every employer, school, date and result is a bracketed placeholder for your own true details.
- What a specific employer screens for: always read the posting.
- Your results: we never invent numbers, and you should never copy a result you did not achieve.
- Outcomes: no resume, letter or program can promise an interview or a job.
- TryHired editorial guidance by Maid Dizdarevic, career coach, Nov 2, 2026.