How to Write a Student CV: A Practical UK Guide
What goes in a student CV
A student CV follows the same basic structure as any CV [1]. The difference is the order and emphasis. Because you have more education than work experience, your degree or A-levels usually come before your work history. Every section below is worth including, even if some entries are short.
| Section | What to include | Typical length |
|---|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, phone, email, LinkedIn URL (optional) | 3–4 lines |
| Personal statement | Who you are, what you study, what you are looking for | 3–5 sentences |
| Education | University, course, expected grade; A-levels; GCSEs summary | 5–10 lines |
| Work experience | Part-time jobs, placements, volunteering — most recent first | 2–4 bullet points per role |
| Skills | Software, languages, lab skills, driving licence | Short list |
| Activities and interests | Societies, sports, elected roles, personal projects | 3–6 lines |
| References | 'Available on request' is fine | 1 line |
Keep the font readable — Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman at size 11 or larger. Use consistent headings and bullet points throughout [1]. Aim for two pages maximum; one page is fine if you are in your first or second year.
Writing each section of your undergraduate CV
Contact details. Put your name at the top in a slightly larger font. Add a phone number, a professional email address (firstname.lastname@email.com rather than a nickname), and your LinkedIn URL if your profile is complete. Do not include your age, date of birth, marital status or nationality — these are not needed and can invite unconscious bias [1].
Personal statement. Three to five sentences just below your contact details. Say what you study, what stage you are at, what you bring, and what kind of role you are looking for. Keep it specific. 'Final-year Psychology student at the University of Leeds with experience in data collection and a strong interest in UX research, seeking a graduate analyst role' is far stronger than 'hardworking and enthusiastic student'.
Education. List your university first, then A-levels, then GCSEs. Include your expected degree classification or your current average if it is strong. You do not need to list every GCSE — a summary such as '10 GCSEs including Maths and English (grades 7–9)' is enough. If you have done a relevant dissertation, module or project, name it briefly here.
Work experience. List roles in reverse chronological order — most recent first [1]. Include the employer name, your job title and the dates. Then write two to four bullet points describing what you did and what it achieved. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to give each bullet point a clear shape [2].
Turning a part-time retail job into a strong CV bullet
- Situation
- Worked weekends at a busy supermarket during term time
- Task
- Needed to show customer service and reliability on a CV with little other experience
- Action
- Wrote: 'Handled customer queries and complaints at a high-volume checkout, maintaining accuracy during peak periods and training two new colleagues on till procedures'
- Result
- The bullet shows communication, reliability and initiative — all transferable to office or graduate roles
Any job counts. The skill is in how you describe it.
What if you have no work experience at all? Focus on projects, coursework, volunteering, societies and any unpaid work. A group project where you led the presentation, a charity event you organised, or a society committee role all demonstrate real skills [1]. Do not leave this section blank — rename it 'Experience and activities' if that feels more honest.
Skills. List practical, verifiable skills: software (Excel, Python, SPSS, Adobe), languages with your level, first aid certificates, a full UK driving licence. Avoid vague claims like 'good communicator' in this section — those belong in your bullet points with evidence behind them.
Activities and interests. This section matters more on a student CV than on a senior professional's CV. Employers use it to understand your character and spot leadership or teamwork. Being treasurer of a student society, playing for a university sports team, or running a podcast all show initiative. Keep it to three to six lines and be specific — 'captain of the university netball team, managing a squad of 12' is better than 'enjoy sport'.
How to write a student CV with no experience
Almost every student worries they have nothing to put on their CV. In practice, you almost certainly have more than you think. Work through this checklist and tick anything that applies to you.
- Part-time or weekend job (retail, hospitality, tutoring, delivery)
- Volunteering — at a charity shop, food bank, community event or online
- University society membership, especially any committee or organising role
- Sports team, drama group, choir or other regular activity
- Freelance or informal work — babysitting, gardening, social media help for a local business
- University projects, group assignments or a dissertation
- Open days, shadowing days or insight events at employers
- Online courses or certifications (Google, LinkedIn Learning, Coursera)
- Personal projects — a blog, a GitHub repository, an Etsy shop, a YouTube channel
If you ticked even three of these, you have enough to build a solid CV. The key is translating each activity into skills an employer recognises: communication, organisation, teamwork, problem-solving, attention to detail.
The Fresh Grad Wizard turns your degree, projects, part-time work and activities into a first CV in six questions — free with an account. You can also try one line right now on the homepage without signing up.
Tailoring your student CV to each job
Sending the same CV to every employer is the single biggest mistake students make. Employers can tell immediately when a CV has not been tailored. The good news is that tailoring does not mean rewriting everything — it usually means adjusting your personal statement, reordering your bullet points and swapping in a few keywords from the job advert [1].
- Read the job advert carefully. Underline the skills and qualities they mention most often.
- Check your personal statement uses the same language — if they say 'analytical', use 'analytical', not just 'data-driven'.
- Move your most relevant bullet points to the top of each experience section.
- Add any matching skills you forgot to include.
- Remove anything clearly irrelevant that is taking up space.
- Double-check the employer name and role title are correct — a CV addressed to the wrong company is an instant rejection.
Graduate employment in the UK stands at 87.6% [3], which means competition for entry-level roles is real. A tailored CV is one of the most effective things you can do to stand out. The CV Studio can help you tailor your CV to a specific job advert in under a minute, showing every change it makes.
Once you have a tailored CV, run it through the CV checker for a quick readiness score and up to three specific fixes — no sign-up needed.
Final-year student CV: what changes
A final-year student CV needs to work harder than one written in first or second year. By now you should have more to show — a dissertation topic, a placement, society leadership, or at least two or three years of part-time work. Here is what to adjust.
- Update your personal statement to reflect that you are graduating soon and ready to work full-time.
- Add your expected degree classification if it is 2:1 or above. If it is lower, you can omit it and address it in a cover note if asked.
- Include your dissertation title and a one-line description if it is relevant to the roles you are applying for.
- Move any placement or year-in-industry experience to the top of your work history — it is your strongest entry.
- If you have held a leadership role in a society or team, describe what you achieved, not just what the role was called.
- Check your LinkedIn profile matches your CV — employers do look [1].
If you are applying for graduate schemes, check whether the employer wants a CV at all — some use application forms only. Where a CV is needed, the same principles apply: tailor it, keep it clean, and make every line earn its place.
For more guidance on the graduate transition, see our graduate CV help page.
Student CV checklist: before you send
Before you send any application, run through this list. Every item should be a yes.
- CV is one or two pages — no more
- Font is readable (Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman, size 11 or larger)
- Consistent formatting throughout — same heading style, same bullet style
- Contact details are correct and include a professional email address
- Personal statement is tailored to this specific role
- Education section lists university first, then A-levels, then GCSEs
- Work experience is in reverse chronological order
- Each role has two to four bullet points with action verbs and specific detail
- Skills section lists only real, verifiable skills
- Activities section shows at least one example of leadership, teamwork or initiative
- No age, date of birth, photo, marital status or nationality included
- Spell-checked and proofread by at least one other person
- Saved as a PDF unless the employer specifically asks for Word
- File name is professional: FirstnameLastname-CV.pdf
Once your CV is ready, practise for the interviews it will win you. The Interview Coach gives you eight role-specific questions, STAR feedback and a model answer — free for one session with an account.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a student CV be?
One to two pages. First and second-year students can usually fit everything on one page. Final-year students with a placement or significant activities may need two. Never go beyond two pages — employers spend very little time on each CV and a longer document rarely helps.
Should I include a photo on my student CV?
No. UK employers do not expect a photo and including one can invite unconscious bias. Leave it off. The same applies to your age, date of birth, marital status and nationality — none of these belong on a UK CV [1].
What do I put in the work experience section if I have never had a job?
Include volunteering, university projects, society roles, sports teams, freelance or informal work, and any shadowing or insight days. Rename the section 'Experience and activities' if that feels more accurate. Employers hiring students expect limited formal work history and value evidence of initiative and transferable skills.
Do I need a different CV for every job?
Yes — at least a tailored one. You do not need to rewrite everything, but your personal statement and the order of your bullet points should reflect the specific role. Check the job advert for the skills they emphasise most and make sure your CV uses the same language and leads with the most relevant experience [1].
Should I include my GCSEs on a university student CV?
Yes, briefly. A summary line such as '10 GCSEs including Maths and English (grades 7–9)' is enough. You do not need to list every subject individually. Once you have significant work experience, GCSEs become less important and you can shorten this entry further.
What is the STAR method and should I use it on my CV?
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. It is a way of structuring examples so they are clear and specific [2]. On a CV, you do not write out all four parts explicitly — instead, you write bullet points that naturally include what you did and what happened as a result. See our STAR method guide for more detail.
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