Resume or academic CV: which one does the program want?
Graduate programs ask for a "resume", a "CV" or "a resume or CV", and the terms are not always used precisely. In North America, a resume is usually a concise summary of experience and skills, while a CV is a fuller academic record. Elsewhere, "CV" can simply mean what Americans call a resume.
A useful rule is to match the document to the program's purpose:
| Program type | Usually expects | Emphasis |
|---|---|---|
| Research master's or PhD | Academic CV | Research, methods, presentations, publications, teaching, academic awards |
| Professional master's (for example business, public policy, social work) | Resume | Work impact, leadership, relevant skills, measurable results |
| MBA | Resume, often one page | Career progression, leadership, quantified achievements |
| Health professions graduate programs | Resume or CV, per instructions | Clinical and patient care experience, research, service |
| Fellowships and funded programs | Often an academic CV | Research record, awards and the activities that fit the funder |
Always follow the program's own instructions on format and length where they give them. When they say nothing, a clear, well-ordered document that suits the type of program is the safest choice.
Sections to include
Order sections so the reader sees your most relevant strengths first. For a research applicant, that usually means education and research near the top. For a professional program, work experience often leads.
- Contact details: name, email, phone, location and, if useful, a professional profile link.
- Education: institutions, degrees, dates, and your thesis or capstone title if you have one. Include grades only if they help and the program asks for them.
- Research experience: lab, project or independent work, with your role, methods and outcomes.
- Publications and presentations: real outputs only, in a consistent citation style.
- Teaching or mentoring: tutoring, teaching assistance, workshops, peer mentoring.
- Professional experience: jobs and internships, described by what you achieved.
- Awards, scholarships and grants: name, awarding body and year.
- Skills: laboratory techniques, software, programming languages, statistical tools, languages.
- Service and leadership: committees, societies, outreach and volunteering.
Leave out personal details such as age, marital status or a photograph unless the program's country or instructions specifically expect them.
Describing research honestly and clearly
Research entries are where graduate applicants gain or lose credibility. A reader wants to know the question, your specific contribution, the methods you used and what came of it.
Be precise about your role. "Assisted with data collection for a study on sleep and memory" is honest and useful. "Conducted a study on sleep and memory" suggests you led it. Supervisors may be asked about your work in their references, so the description must match.
List publication status accurately. A paper is "published", "accepted", "under review" or "in preparation", and each label means something specific. Never list a paper you have not written or a conference you did not attend. We will not add outputs, awards or roles that are not yours.
Writing strong bullet points
Each bullet should start with a clear verb and show action plus result. Avoid duties such as "responsible for" and focus on what you actually did and what changed.
- Lead with verbs like analyzed, designed, coded, taught, coordinated, presented or built.
- Name the methods, tools or techniques that a reader in your field will recognize.
- Add numbers only where they are real and meaningful, such as participants, samples or students taught.
- Keep bullets to one or two lines each.
- Put the most relevant bullet first under each entry.
An example: a research entry, rewritten
Research Assistant, Psychology Department. Responsible for helping in the lab. Did data entry and other tasks. Worked with a team on research about memory.
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Memory and Cognition Lab (2 semesters). Ran recall sessions with adult participants following the lab's ethics-approved protocol. Cleaned and coded response data in R, and produced summary plots used in weekly lab meetings. Presented a poster on preliminary findings at the university's undergraduate research day.
The rewrite names the lab, the methods, the tools and a real output, while making the applicant's actual role clear. An entry like this must reflect exactly what you did.
If your record is strong but your document does not show it, you can order your graduate school resume or CV and send your current version and notes.
Formatting and length
Graduate admissions readers value clarity over decoration. Use one readable font, consistent headings and plenty of white space. Avoid tables, columns and graphics that may not survive an upload system.
Length depends on the document. A professional resume is usually short, while an academic CV grows with your record and can run longer. Do not pad a CV to look longer, and do not shrink fonts to fit everything on one page. Follow any limit the program sets.
Save the final version as a PDF unless the portal requests another format, and give the file a clear name that includes your own name.
Tailoring to each program
You do not need a different document for every school, but small adjustments help. Move the most relevant research or experience higher for each program, and make sure the skills section reflects the methods their faculty use.
Your resume or CV should also agree with your statement of purpose. If the statement describes a research interest, the CV should show the experience behind it. Readers notice gaps between the two.
Extra sections an academic CV may need
As your academic record grows, an academic CV can carry sections a resume never would. Add them only when you have genuine content for them; an empty heading looks worse than no heading.
- Conference presentations: talks and posters, with title, event, location and year.
- Research interests: a short line of keywords, useful for funded programs matching students to supervisors.
- Professional memberships: student memberships of learned societies in your field.
- Languages: with an honest level for each, particularly for area studies or fieldwork.
- Fieldwork and certifications: lab safety, ethics training or field courses relevant to your research.
- Referees: include names and contact details only if the program asks for them on the CV.
Mistakes that weaken a graduate application document
Admissions committees read a great many resumes and CVs, and the same problems appear again and again. Each one takes minutes to correct when you spot it.
- Describing duties rather than contributions, so the reader cannot tell what you personally achieved.
- Burying research or relevant experience below unrelated jobs.
- Inconsistent formatting of dates, titles and citations, which suggests carelessness.
- Vague skills lists such as "computer skills" instead of named software, languages or techniques.
- Listing secondary school achievements in a doctoral application, unless they are exceptional and relevant.
- Typos in names of supervisors, institutions or journals.
- Overstated roles or publication status that a referee's letter might contradict.
Before submitting, compare the document with your statement of purpose and with what your referees are likely to say. All three should describe the same person, with the same roles and the same outputs. Consistency builds trust; contradictions raise questions that can sink an otherwise strong application.
How ApplicationWriters helps with graduate resumes and CVs
Send us your current document, the programs you are targeting and notes on your research, teaching and work. A specialist organizes everything into the format those programs expect and rewrites entries so your contribution is clear and accurate. Every line comes from your own record. We never add publications, grades, awards or positions you do not hold.
Documents are prepared individually for you and checked for originality, and your personal information stays confidential. Corrections that sit within the scope of your first request are free. You receive a complete refund if we miss the agreed deadline or if you cancel before work on your file begins. We cannot promise an admission offer or funding, since those decisions belong to the programs.