What is an Academic CV vs Resume?
A scholarship CV (Curriculum Vitae) is different from a regular resume. It is comprehensive (2–5 pages), includes all academic achievements, publications, and research experience. Never send a 1-page resume for a scholarship application unless specifically requested.
1. Personal Information
Full name, email address, phone number, LinkedIn/ResearchGate (if relevant), nationality. Do NOT include photo, date of birth, or marital status for Western universities.
2. Education
List in reverse chronological order. Include degree, institution, country, graduation year, GPA/grade, honors. Include thesis title if relevant.
3. Research Experience
Essential for scholarships and PhD applications. List research projects with supervisor name, institution, period, and 2-3 bullet points of key findings or contributions.
4. Work Experience
Relevant jobs, internships, and consulting. Use action verbs. Quantify impact where possible (managed 10 staff, increased revenue by 30%).
5. Publications & Conferences
List peer-reviewed papers, conference papers, book chapters. Use proper citation format. Include DOI or URL. Pending papers: mark as "Under Review".
6. Awards & Scholarships
List academic awards, merit scholarships received, competition prizes. Include year and awarding body.
7. Skills
Technical skills (programming languages, software, lab techniques), Language proficiency (with test scores: IELTS 7.5, GRE 320), and relevant soft skills.
8. Leadership & Volunteering
Student government, NGO work, community projects, mentorship. Shows character and commitment to impact beyond academics.
9. References
Include 2-3 academic referees (professors who know your work). Include their full title, institution, email, and relationship to you.
✅ Do This
- • Use consistent formatting throughout
- • Quantify achievements (increased by 30%, 500 students reached)
- • Use action verbs (led, developed, managed, published)
- • Tailor CV for each scholarship
- • Save as PDF to preserve formatting
- • Name file: FirstName_LastName_CV.pdf
- • Get a professor or mentor to review it
❌ Avoid These
- • Adding a photo (for Western universities)
- • Including marital status or religion
- • Spelling errors or typos
- • Objective statement (outdated)
- • Vague bullet points ("responsible for...")
- • Overly decorative or colorful design
- • Submitting in Word format