How to Write a College Application Resume (+ Examples)

You spent a long time in high school, studying diligently to grasp the chance to finally get into college.

To show admission officers that you’re the best candidate to join their prestigious school, you might need a resume for college application. If that sounds daunting, don’t worry. I’ll show you how to write a resume that gets you into college.

In this guide, I’ll show you:

• 4 college application resume examples.
• How to write a resume for college application that gets you into the best institutions.
• What to include on a high school resume for college.
• Tips & tricks to get your college resume template noticed.

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Looking for a different kind of college resume? We've got you covered:

• Academic CV Template
• College Freshman Resume
• College Student Resume
• Engineering Student Resume
• High School Graduate
• High School Student Resume
• Law School Application
• Law Student Resume
• Recent College Graduate Resume
• Undergraduate College Resume

Now, I’ll show you one fantastic college application resume. You can find the other three at the bottom of this article.

College Application Resume Example

A college application resume adds extra information to your college application document. It gives admissions officers a quick look at your achievements and experiences, helping to assess your suitability and readiness for college.

Do You Need a Resume for College Application?

You should use a resume for your college applications when you're applying to colleges, scholarships, or even certain academic programs that ask for a detailed account of your experiences. It's also a good tool to have ready for college fairs, meetings with admission counselors, and during the application process itself.

However, it is not a necessity in all places. For example, the University of Virginia’s FAQ states that they don’t accept college application resumes.

Even if there is a chance you won’t need a college resume, I still recommend you write one. Not only will it help you stand out if you can include it, but it’s also good training for when you’ll inevitably need to look for your first/next job.

Now, I’ll tell you how to write a resume for college applications that opens the doors to the best colleges:

1. Pick the Best Format for College Application Resume

There are around 57,000 applicants that try to get into Harvard each year. And only about 2,000 get admitted. So, about 3.5–4%. To be in the 4% that do get in, you need to have jaw-dropping academic achievements from high school.

But that’s not all. Your college application resume format needs to be flawless. I’ll give you a formula for the best college resume template:

• Pick a professional, simple resume template. It will make the process much quicker.
• Use the best resume fonts, like Cambria, Georgia, or other Serif-type fonts, in 10–12pt. Add big headings, utilize white space, and set 1-inch margins on your resume.
• First, create your resume header. Add your name, address, phone, email, and social media links. Do not include a photo.
• Write a one-page resume. One page is the perfect length for a resume for college applications.
• Save your resume as a PDF rather than a DOC. PDFs are machine-readable and keep their formatting on all software and devices. However, some colleges will prefer other file types or applications through The Common App.

Expert Hint: Since you’re applying to college, you might’ve heard the term CV being tossed around. But you don’t need to create a detailed CV when writing a high school resume for college. If you’d like to learn more about the differences between CVs and resumes, click the embedded link.

2. Show Educational Prowess

If there is one part you really need to focus on when writing a high school resume for college, it’s the education section. But, you’ll include a bit more information than if you were writing a resume tailored for a job.

A university cares for your grades. So you need to show your GPA and SAT. And it’s kind of non-negotiable. Normally I’d only recommend you show your GPA if it’s 3.5 or higher, but you’re not applying for a job this time.

You can also highlight your best A+ subjects. On top of that, include additional information that shows your commitment to gaining knowledge, as well as other practical, relevant achievements gained during high school.

These can include:

• Academic Honors and Awards
• Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) Courses
• School Projects or Research
• Extracurricular Academic Activities
• Relevant Workshops
• Study Abroad or Exchange Programs
• Club Activities

See the examples below on how to create a great education section.

Education on a High School Resume for College—Example

Education

Linden Heights High School, Des Moines, IA

September 2021–May 2024

GPA: 3.85

SAT: 1350 (700 Verbal, 650 Math)

Awards:

• Excellence in Environmental Science Award, 2023
• Academic Excellence Scholarship, 2022

High School Project: Green Oasis Initiative

• Led a team of 10 students in creating a sustainable garden on the school premises.
• Implemented eco-friendly practices, resulting in a 30% reduction in water usage.
• Provided fresh produce to the school cafeteria, contributing to a 20% increase in students choosing healthier meal options.

Education

New West Charter School, Los Angeles, CA

2020–2024

• Co-Captain of Track Team.
• GPA 3.6
• SAT Scores >1300

The first of these two examples shows you weren’t just stuck to your classroom desk. It presents stunning achievements that are certain to catch an eye. Meanwhile, the second example is bland and gives an inconclusive SAT score value, even though the candidate still appears to have a strong academic background.

I’ll give a word of advice in case your GPA isn’t that high: Different universities and programs have varying acceptance criteria, so it’s wise to prepare a second or third choice in case you’re not admitted into your first one. Additionally, a 3.2 GPA from one of the top high schools in America may be viewed more favorably than a higher GPA from a lesser-known school.

Expert Hint: If you’ve already graduated from college, present your university projects, relevant coursework, scholarships, and other achievements you can pull from your time studying.

3. List Work Experience on a Resume for College Applications

Look, work experience isn’t necessary here. But if you have some experience that’s relevant to the course you’re pursuing, adding it to your college application resume will be a huge boon.

That’s because, through work experience, you show that you have practical knowledge and skills alongside your theoretical knowledge.

Here are some types of work experience you may want to include:

• Full-Time Employment
• Part-Time Employment
• Contract Work
• Freelancing
• Internships
• Volunteer Work

These examples of high school resumes for college show how:

Work Experience on a Resume for College—Example

Work Experience

Zookeeper Assistant

Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines, IA

July 2022–May 2024

• Assisted in daily animal care routines, including feeding, cleaning enclosures, and monitoring animal health.
• Collaborated with senior zookeepers to implement enrichment programs, improving animal welfare.
• Maintained a 98% positive feedback rating from zoo visitors.

Volunteer

Furraria Animal Shelter, Des Moines, IA

January 2020–July 2022

• Devoted over 500 hours to animal care and community outreach.
• Successfully implemented a social media campaign, increasing shelter adoptions by 25%.

Co-founder, Operator

Paws for a Cause, Des Moines, IA

March 2021–May 2024

• Launched and managed a social fundraising campaign for animal welfare.
• Mobilized a network of volunteers, raising $15,000 for shelter improvements.
• Established an online presence with 10,000 followers across social media platforms.

Local Zoo Animal Care Intern

• Assisted zookeepers with daily animal care tasks.
• Facilitated educational tours.
• Performed various project tasks as assigned by senior zookeepers.
• Attended staff meetings and briefings.

The second example only shows a small list of job responsibilities and no impressive work achievements. It’s just too underdeveloped to impress anyone. Meanwhile, the first sample shows resume bullet points that are both detailed descriptions of responsibilities and quantified accomplishments.

Expert Hint: Remember to prove as many statements as possible by providing details. Strong college application resume bullet points like “Successfully implemented a social media campaign, increasing shelter adoptions by 25%” are incredibly effective. Also, start each sentence with an action verb.

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4. Showcase Your Skills

In the previous section of the article, I briefly mentioned skills once. This time, I’m going to talk about resume skills in more detail. This is because you need to write a skills section on your college application resume.

Normally, you’d do it to target some resume keywords from the job application. This time, you’re mostly targeting what the admission officer might value. This means hard skills that are important for the curriculum and soft skills that highlight your character and potential contributions to the university community.

Don’t copy any lists you find on the internet. Always take your time and choose 5–10 most relevant skills. Here’s a list of some of the most common ones for inspiration:

Skills for a College Application Resume

• Communication Skills
• Strong Work Ethic
• Collaboration
• Time Management
• Self-Motivated
• Fast Learner
• Critical Thinking
• Creative Thinking
• Presentation
• Negotiation
• Interpersonal Skills
• Physically Fit
• Problem-Solving
• Tech Skills
• Computer Skills
• Math
• MS Office
• Physics
• Science
• Programming
• History
• Public Speaking
• Social Media

Expert Hint: If you don’t know the differences between hard and soft skills, click the embedded link to learn all about this subject.

5. Add Extra Sections to the Resume

Take as much time as you need and list interesting activities on your college resume. Hobbies, interests & extracurricular activities on a college admission bring a plethora of advantages. Think of these activities that are:

1. Relevant to the course you want to enroll in.
2. Prove vital skills.

What activities can you show on a resume for college applications?

• Class Rank: if it’s impressive.
• Gained Certifications: They prove your skills and show your dedication and motivation towards learning a specific subject.
• Volunteer Work: Unless you added it under your work experience section.
• Community Projects: Have you done public service or built a website? Projects show your dedication to a goal.
• Sports: Don’t just list sports on a college resume. Add accomplishments like races won or records broken.
• Professional Memberships: Include memberships in professional organizations or academic societies that are relevant to your field.
• Publications: List any articles, research papers, or blog posts you have authored or contributed to, particularly those related to your field of study.
• Positions: List captainships, Eagle Scout rank, or positions in church or 4-H groups. Those all energize high school resumes for college.
• Hobbies & Interests: Are you good at robotics? Crafts? Relevant hobbies prove you can work toward a goal.
• Known Languages: Command of a foreign language looks great on college application resumes.

Here are two examples:

Examples of Bonus Sections on a Resume for College Application

Awards

• Best Project Award: Coding Club, 2022
• Recognized for developing a comprehensive library management system using Python, enhancing the school's book inventory and borrowing process.
• High School Coding Competition Winner: 2022
• First place in a school-wide coding competition, demonstrating outstanding programming skills and innovative problem-solving.

Certifications

• Introduction to Computer Science (CS50), Harvard University (edX), June 2023
• JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures Certification, freeCodeCamp, May 2023
• Python for Everybody Specialization, University of Michigan (Coursera), April 2022
• HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for Web Developers Certification, Johns Hopkins University (Coursera), January 2021

Awards

• Participation Award, Science Fair, 2020
• Certificate of Attendance, School Assembly, 2019

Certifications

• Certificate of Completion, Online Time Management Course, 2021
• Attendance Certificate, Public Speaking Workshop, 2019

The bad example is presented by the Four Horsemen of Bad Resumes. Lack of relevance, Vagueness, Generalized titles, and Insignificant achievements. It’s not going to impress anyone.

6. Craft a Powerful College Resume Objective

Now that your high school resume for college is ready, it’s time for a finishing touch.

Universities receive tens of thousands of applications each year. To browse through them efficiently, the admission counselors can’t spend much time looking at each one. With only a couple of seconds to pique their interest, you need a strong resume introduction.

With a good resume objective, you’ll present the admission officers with something that will open their eyes faster than a project deadline. Use:

• A resume power adjective (enthusiastic, passionate).
• “High school graduate” or “student”.
• GPA if above 3.5.
• Your goal (seeking admission to The University of Iowa)
• An attention-grabbing achievement (led a team of 10 students in creating a sustainable garden)

Here is a practical example of what to do and not do:

College Application Resume Objective—Example

Resume Objective

Driven high school graduate with a 3.85 GPA, seeking admission to The University of Iowa. Dedicated part-time zookeeper with a passion for animal care and extensive volunteering experience at an animal shelter. Demonstrated academic commitment by maintaining a 3.85 GPA, and led a team of 10 students in creating a sustainable garden on the school premises.

Resume Objective

Passionate high school graduate with a 3.3 GPA and 1300 combined SAT scores. Graduating from high school in May 2024.

The first example is effective because it succinctly highlights the candidate's outstanding GPA, combines academic excellence with relevant, practical experiences, and showcases leadership through a sustainability project.

The bad example falls short because it lacks depth. It offers only basic information without providing insights into the candidate's character, skills, or accomplishments. It's generic and doesn't engage the reader with meaningful details.

If you graduated from high school long ago, pursued a career, and are only now trying to get into college, use a resume summary. Instead of focusing strictly on your academic achievements, present 1–2 quantified professional work achievements. Especially if they’re relevant to the course you’re trying to get into.

To finish the college application resume part, I prepared a handy checklist you can use to see if your resume for college application is ready:

7. Supply Your College Application Resume With a Cover Letter

One more thing before we wrap things up. Some colleges will require you to send a cover letter and your college application resume. Other ones will not specify, even though they most likely consider cover letters necessary.

Keep to the standard cover letter format. Start with your and the recipient’s contact information. Next, write an introductory paragraph that works similarly to the resume profile. In the middle section, showcase your achievements and skills. In the end, focus on your motivation and values.

You can learn how to write a cover letter from our guide.

Expert Hint: Do you have what it takes to win a scholarship? Write a scholarship resume and a scholarship cover letter that will make you stand out from the crowd.

More College Application Resume Examples

As I said in the beginning, here are 3 more resumes for college applications you can use as templates or just get inspired by.

The first sample comes from a recent high school graduate with zero work, internship, or volunteering experience. Through this candidate, I’ll show you some great ways to expand on your education section.

Sample College Application Resume With No Work Experience

As you can see, this candidate focuses mostly on his school projects to show that he’s driven, motivated, and possesses practical knowledge.

If you never did school projects, you can always substitute them with personal projects. Treat them similarly, so focus mainly on what you did and what impact these projects made.

Now, I’ll switch focus from an inexperienced high school graduate to an experienced working professional who wants to finish university to help them get a promotion and advance in their career.

Sample Resume for College Application for an Experienced Professional

Unlike the previous candidate, this one uses her work experience as the main section of the college application resume. Since she graduated high school a long time ago, her education section can be put on the backburner.

But, If she were applying for a Master’s program, she would’ve benefited greatly from expanding her Bachelor’s education section.

Let’s combine these two college application resumes to create a recent high school graduate candidate with some work experience.

Sample College Application Resume for a Recent Graduate With Work Experience

And that’s how you can combine both your expansive academic achievements and work experience.

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Key Points

For a college application resume that puts you in a toga:

• Use the college resume template at the top.
• Set the right college application resume format. That way, you’ll show you’re organized and take things seriously.
• Make your education section meaningful. Show accomplishments in your high school student resume education section.
• List resume activities in your bullet points. Add details and numbers that show you’re not playing around.
• Add a college application cover letter. In it, elaborate on your achievements, motivations, and personal aspirations.

Do you have any questions about how to write a high school resume for college that sparkles? Are you still not sure what goes on a resume for a college application? Leave a comment. I’ll happily reply.

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