How to Write an Academic CV or Resume for Scholarship Applications (With Examples)

Aside from SOP or personal statement, another document to prepare if you’re aiming for a scholarship in foreign schools is your Academic Resume. This is because it helps give an impression of who you are – your background, interests, academic track record, all that – to any scholarship selection committee reading your application.

It’s one of those documents that can either make you stand out or make them forget you ever applied.

Now, while it’s not every scholarship that requires this document, most private scholarships or foundation-backed ones will ask you to submit one. Some government or automatic-entry ones might not care for it, but when they do ask, it’s not something you should rush or freestyle. You need to know what you're doing.

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What is an Academic CV/Resume?

Simply put, an academic CV is a document that’s used to apply for scholarships and displays your academic background, awards, achievements, and activities, while also including your key skills and any professional or volunteer work experience you have.

It isn’t the same as that regular resume you used to apply for internships or side gigs. An academic CV covers not just what you’ve done, but how your educational journey is shaping up.

Usually, unlike a non-academic resume/CV that’s 1–2 pages long, an academic CV has no strict length. It grows with you, highlighting what you studied, what research you’ve done, if you’ve ever presented at a conference, if you’ve published anything, even small school journals or class projects.

It shows your:

• Education history—where you’ve studied, your grades or GPA if they’re strong, the courses you’ve taken, and any thesis you worked on.
• Research involvement—if you’ve assisted a lecturer, done lab work, or contributed to a project or any intense group projects, that counts too, if framed properly.
• Academic achievements—scholarships you’ve won in the past, awards, dean’s list, essay competitions, stuff like that.
• Work or internship experience—but more like research assistantships, teaching help, and volunteer work in education. Even if it wasn’t paid.
• Skills—lab techniques, software you use for data analysis, languages you speak, stuff that supports your academic goals.

The idea is that anyone reading it should understand what kind of student or researcher you are, what you’ve done so far, and where you’re headed. It’s your academic story on paper.

Things to Look Out for Before Writing an Academic CV

Before you open a Word doc and start typing random stuff, there are a few things you should consider first:

1. Know the country where the scholarship is coming from

The reason for this is simple: different countries have different expectations when it comes to academic CVs. A scholarship body in Germany might expect a more detailed, research-heavy CV. Meanwhile, one in Canada might want something a bit more structured with community impact. So don’t just copy any format you see online—check what’s standard in that region.

2. Understand the type of scholarship

If the scholarship is more academic or research-based, your focus should be on your projects, coursework, academic interests, and achievements. But if it’s leadership or community service-focused, you want to highlight volunteer experience, campus roles, or initiatives you’ve led.

3. Gather all your details in one place

Before writing, bring together your transcript, old resumes, certificates, research documents, everything. It saves time and helps you avoid forgetting important stuff like that internship you did two years ago.

4. Decide the order based on what’s important

There’s no one-size-fits-all order. If your strongest area is research, let that come before work experience. If you’ve won scholarships or awards, push that up. Let the most relevant parts of your story come first.

Steps to Write an Academic Resume

Now that you get what an academic CV is and what to prep for, let’s write it. Section by section.

1. Write out your contact information

It’s important that when you want to start writing your academic CV, you begin by listing the following contact details at the top of your college scholarship resume:

• Name
• Phone number
• Email address
• Address (city & state is fine)
• LinkedIn profile (if you have it)

Make sure you only include contact info that you actually check and monitor regularly. Nothing would be worse than finding out you were considered for a scholarship, but didn’t get it because they couldn’t reach you. Don’t play yourself.

2. Start with a clear and purposeful resume objective

Once you’ve added your contact details, the next thing you want to include is a resume objective. Think of this as your introduction, just a short paragraph that gives whoever’s reading a quick sense of who you are, what you’ve done, and why you’re chasing that scholarship.

It’s not a place to brag blindly. The goal here is to connect your academic background, passions, and goals in a way that makes sense for the scholarship you’re applying to.

You should touch on:

• Your academic achievements or GPA
• Any standout extracurriculars or experiences
• Your field of interest or career goals
• And how getting that scholarship ties into your bigger plans

Here’s a fresh example:

Final-year Engineering student with a strong academic record (3.8 GPA), ongoing robotics research project, and volunteer work teaching STEM to high school students. Looking to secure the Atlas Global Scholarship to pursue graduate studies in AI systems, with a focus on sustainable automation in developing regions.

Keep it short, specific, and aligned with your purpose. That’s what makes it work.

3. Add your educational background

This is one of the most important parts of your scholarship resume. The education section is where you show what you’ve studied, where you studied it, and how well you’ve done so far.

Start with your most recent education first (usually your current or last completed degree), then go backward. If you’re still a student, that’s fine—just include your expected graduation date.

Here’s what to include under each entry:

• Name of the school or university
• Degree type (e.g. BSc, BA, OND, HND, etc.)
• Your major or course of study
• Start and end date (or “Expected [Month, Year]” if you haven’t graduated yet)
• Your CGPA or grade (only if it’s strong)
• Relevant coursework or final year project (if it aligns with the scholarship you’re applying for)

Here’s a sample format to follow:

BSc in Agricultural Economics
University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Expected: Nov 2025
CGPA: 4.35/5.00
Relevant coursework: Development Economics, Agricultural Policy, Econometrics
Final year project: “Impact of Climate Change on Food Security in Western Nigeria”

If you’ve attended more than one institution (say you transferred or did a diploma before your degree), list both, but keep the most relevant one at the top.

4. Highlight any academic projects or research experience

This section is where you show your hands-on academic work—whether it’s a final year project, research assistantship, thesis, or even group work that involved deep analysis or problem-solving.

You don’t need to have published a paper or worked in a lab to write something here. If you’ve done any serious school project that involved research, writing, experiments, or data, it counts. You just need to present it in a way that shows your contribution and what you learned.

What to include:

• Project title or topic
• Your role or contribution
• What it was about (brief summary)
• Any outcome, recognition, or skills gained

Here’s how to frame it:

Undergraduate Project – University of Benin
“The Role of Mobile Technology in Boosting Financial Inclusion in Rural Nigeria”
Led data collection and analysis for over 200 respondents across three states; used SPSS for regression analysis; findings presented at faculty research seminar.

If you’ve worked under a lecturer as a research assistant or contributed to a study, mention that too—even if the research hasn’t been published yet.

This part of your resume shows that you’re not just a classroom student—you know how to apply your knowledge in real settings.

5. Include any work, internship, or volunteer experience

Beyond your academics, it’s also important to show how you’ve applied yourself in real-life situations—whether that’s through jobs, internships, or volunteer roles.

You don’t need a big corporate internship to make this section stand out. Even helping a lecturer with admin work, tutoring classmates, or volunteering at a local NGO can add weight, as long as it shows responsibility, initiative, or useful skills.

What you can include:

• Research assistantships
• Teaching/tutoring experience
• Volunteering (especially in your community or academic clubs)
• Internships (paid or unpaid)
• Projects or gigs that highlight your leadership, communication, or problem-solving

Here’s how to format it:

• Role
• Organization + Location
• Dates
• 1–2 points explaining what you did, and what came out of it

Example:

Volunteer Research Assistant – Department of Political Science, Unilag Lagos
Feb 2023 – July 2023Reviewed literature and collected survey data for study on youth voter behavior in LagosCo-drafted data summary report presented at faculty seminar

Focus more on what you learned or contributed, not just your job title.

6. Mention your awards, honors, and any trainings or conferences attended

If you’ve ever been recognized for your academic work or taken part in workshops, trainings, or conferences, now’s the time to add that. These things show you're not just doing the bare minimum; you're putting in extra effort to grow.

Start with awards and honors. Maybe you made the Dean’s List, got a scholarship in school, won a competition, or were recognized for your leadership or volunteering.

Then move to conferences or trainings. If you’ve attended any seminar, webinar, academic conference, summer school, bootcamp, or even a student panel—especially ones tied to your field, you can add it.

Structure it like this:

Dean’s List – Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife
2021 & 2022 – For maintaining a CGPA above 4.5

National Youth Policy Bootcamp – Abuja
Aug 2023 – Selected participant in a 3-day intensive policy and governance training

Faculty Research Day Presenter – Covenant University
July 2022 – Presented group findings on climate finance and African development

You don’t need 10 entries. Even two or three solid examples can say a lot about your curiosity, consistency, and academic hustle.

7. Wrap it up with your skills section

Now that you’ve walked them through your education, experience, and achievements, end with a clean list of skills that show what you can actually do—both inside and outside the classroom.

Split them into categories if you’ve got a mix. Keep it honest, relevant, and don’t overdo it.

You can include:

• Technical skills — like SPSS, Python, AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, research tools, lab techniques, or any software tied to your field
• Language skills — mention fluency levels (e.g. English – Fluent, French – Intermediate, Yoruba – Native)
• Soft skills — academic writing, public speaking, teamwork, leadership, data interpretation, communication (but only add these if you’ve shown them somewhere else in the CV)

Here’s a quick example layout:

Technical: SPSS, Canva, MS Word, Zoom, Google Docs
Languages: English (Fluent), Yoruba (Intermediate), French (Basic)
Other: Academic research writing, Presentation design, Team collaboration

Think of this section as a summary of what tools you bring to the table, and what makes you ready for academic or research work beyond just good grades.

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Conclusion

Writing an academic CV for a scholarship doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Once you understand what to include and how to present it, it just becomes a matter of putting your story in order. And no, it’s not about having a perfect CV filled with awards or international research papers—it’s about showing growth, potential, and effort.

So take your time with it and ensure each section says something meaningful about you. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just a document—it’s you on paper.