List your education with your most recent or highest qualification first. For each one, give the qualification, the institution and the years, and for a degree you haven't finished add the expected completion date. Put it near the top if you are a student or recent graduate, and below your work history once you have a few years of experience.
What should education on a resume include?
- The name of the qualification, such as Bachelor of Commerce
- The institution
- The years, or the expected completion date if you are still studying
- Your major or specialisation if it relates to the job
- Honours, a high average or relevant subjects, only if they help your case
Here is an example to adapt.
Bachelor of Commerce (Finance and Economics)
[University], 2023 to 2026 (expected completion December 2026)
Relevant subjects Corporate Finance, Econometrics, Business Analytics
How do you list a degree you haven't finished?
Write the course and institution as normal and add "expected completion" with the month and year. Don't leave the end date blank or write "present" alone, because a reader can't tell whether you are close to finishing or still at the start. If you left a course without finishing, list the years you studied and the subjects you completed, and don't imply a qualification you don't hold.
Where does education go on a resume?
If you are still studying or finished in the last couple of years, put education before work experience, since it is your strongest credential. With a few years in the workforce, move it below your work history. Short courses and professional certifications can sit in their own section after it.
Should you include high school?
Usually only if you have no tertiary study yet. Once you are at university or have a degree, leave school off. If you are applying for your first part-time job, list your school, your year level or completion year and any roles such as prefect or sports captain.
Should you list your marks?
List them if an employer asks, or if they are a strong point, such as honours or a distinction average. A grad program application often asks for an academic transcript anyway. If your average is lower than you'd like, put your relevant subjects and projects first. The resume doesn't need to lead with a number that works against you.
What about courses and certificates?
Put them in a short "Courses and certificates" section with the name, provider and year. Only include those that relate to the job. A six-week online course in data analysis helps an analyst application. A first aid certificate from 2014 usually doesn't.
What should you check before you send it?
Dates should match across your resume, your LinkedIn profile and anything you tell a recruiter, because a background check may look at them. Our guide to reference checks in Australia covers what employers verify. If your resume is going into a graduate program application, see our students and grads guides.
What if you get a graduate offer?
Check the salary against what others in the same role earn before you accept. The free AusCorp Vault salary check shows where an offer sits against the market for your role.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice.
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