How to Write a CV/Résumé for University Applications — Format & Sample

A CV (curriculum vitae) or résumé is the structured, one-to-two-page summary of your education, experience, skills and achievements that universities and scholarship panels read alongside your Statement of Purpose. Where the SOP argues your case in prose, the CV is the evidence — scannable in under thirty seconds, every claim backed by a date and a result.

For most taught master's and undergraduate applications a single page is enough; research-heavy master's, PhD and academic funding applications use a longer "academic CV" that adds publications, research and teaching. Whichever you need, the winning principle is the same: relevant, specific and reverse-chronological, with no filler.

CV vs résumé — and which one universities want

Outside academia the words differ by region (a "résumé" in the US is a short one-pager; a "CV" is the full academic record), but for study-abroad applications the university's wording is what matters — read the prompt. A taught programme almost always wants one focused page; a research programme or academic scholarship expects a fuller academic CV with a publications and research section.

Either way, tailor it to the course. A generic all-purpose CV is weaker than one that foregrounds the projects, skills and experience most relevant to the programme you are applying to.

The sections to include (in order)

• Header — full name and professional contact details (email, phone, city/country, LinkedIn or portfolio). No photo, date of birth or marital status.
• Profile/summary — an optional 2–3 line snapshot of who you are and what you are applying for.
• Education — degrees in reverse-chronological order with institution, dates, and results (CGPA/grade); add key modules, thesis or dissertation title where relevant.
• Experience — jobs, internships, research assistantships and volunteering, each as bullet points led by an action verb and a measurable result.
• Skills — technical, laboratory, language and software skills relevant to the course (with proficiency levels for languages).
• Achievements — awards, scholarships, honours, rankings and competition results.
• Extras as needed — publications, conferences, projects, certifications, leadership and extracurricular roles (an academic CV expands these into their own sections).

How long should it be, and how should it look?

One page for a taught/undergraduate application; two pages only if you genuinely have the relevant content. Academic CVs for PhD/research funding can run longer because publications and research demand space — but never pad.

Keep the design plain and consistent: one clean font at 11–12pt, clear bold headings, consistent dates aligned to one side, generous margins, and no logos, photos or graphics. Save it as a PDF so the layout never breaks, and name the file with your own name.

Make every bullet earn its place

The strongest CV bullets follow an action-verb + task + result pattern: "Led a team of four to build X, cutting processing time by 30%." Numbers, scale and outcomes turn duties into evidence. Cut any line that just describes a responsibility without showing what you achieved.

A one-page CV skeleton (original)

Use this as a scaffold — replace every bracket with your own specific detail, and keep the whole thing to one page unless a research application needs more. Do not copy a template CV wholesale; tailor the order and emphasis to the course.

Header: "[Full Name] · [City, Country] · [email] · [phone] · [LinkedIn/portfolio]." One clean line, no photo.

Profile (optional): "[Final-year / graduate] [discipline] student applying for the [programme] at [university], with experience in [area] and a focus on [goal]." Two lines, no more.

Education: "[Degree], [University] — [start]–[end]. [CGPA/grade]. Relevant modules: [x, y, z]. Thesis: [title]." List most recent first.

Experience: "[Role], [Organisation] — [dates]. • [Action verb] [what you did], [measurable result]. • [Second bullet with a number]." Choose the most relevant roles, not every job.

Skills & languages: "Technical: [tools/methods]. Languages: [language] ([level], e.g. IELTS 7.5 / native)." Only list skills relevant to the course.

Achievements: "[Award/scholarship], [awarding body], [year] — [one line on why it mattered]." Add publications/projects sections here if you have them.

Expert tips

• Tailor it to the course: reorder sections so the most relevant experience sits highest on the page.
• Lead every experience bullet with an action verb and end it with a measurable result or number.
• Keep formatting ruthlessly consistent — one font, aligned dates, uniform bullet style — and export to PDF.
• Mirror the exact skills and keywords in the programme or scholarship description where they are genuinely true of you.
• Have someone proofread it: a single typo on a one-page document stands out badly.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing a generic CV instead of tailoring the order and emphasis to the specific programme.
• Listing duties ("responsible for…") instead of achievements with results.
• Adding a photo, date of birth, marital status or other irrelevant personal details.
• Letting it sprawl to several pages of low-value content, or cramming a page with a tiny font and no margins.
• Inconsistent formatting and dates, or unexplained gaps and errors that make the reader lose trust.