Education Section: What Matters and What Doesn't
Learn what to include and what to skip in your resume's education section. ATS-friendly tips for recent grads and experienced professionals.
Your education section is the easiest part of your resume to get wrong. Most people either overload it with irrelevant details or leave out information that actually helps them. Here's exactly what to put in, what to cut, and where to put it — depending on where you are in your career.
What to Include in the Education Section
Every education entry needs four things. Anything beyond that is optional and should earn its place.
Degree Type and Major
Write the full, formal degree name. Bachelor of Science in Computer Science — not "B.S. CS." ATS systems scan for the exact phrasing used in job descriptions. Abbreviations miss those matches.
List your highest degree first. If you have a Master's, it goes above your Bachelor's.
School Name and Location
Include the full official name of the institution and city/state. That's it. No street address, no zip code.
Graduation Date
Include the month and year if you graduated within the last five to seven years. For older degrees, year only is fine — it reduces age-bias risk without hiding anything. Never omit the year entirely. A missing year raises more suspicion than it avoids.
GPA (Only When It Helps You)
Include your GPA only if you graduated within the last three years and it's 3.5 or above. Below that, leave it off. A 3.2 doesn't help you and it doesn't hurt you — but listing it draws attention to itself. Don't do it.
Achievement Bullets for Recent Graduates
If you have fewer than three years of work experience, add one or two bullet points under your degree. Use them to show skills you'd otherwise have no room to demonstrate.
Good candidates for bullets:
- A thesis or capstone project with a measurable outcome
- Leadership in a club or student organization
- Specialized coursework directly relevant to the role you're applying for
Don't list every class you took. List the ones that prove something.
What to Leave Out
This is where most resumes go wrong. Cutting the right things is just as important as including the right things.
- High school. Once you have any college degree, remove your high school. Full stop.
- Low GPA. If it's under 3.5, it's not an asset. Leave it off.
- Irrelevant coursework. "Introduction to Sociology" does nothing for a software engineering role. Only list courses if they're highly specialized and directly relevant to the job.
- Generic club memberships. "Member of the Marketing Club" isn't a credential. Leadership positions are worth listing. Membership alone is not.
- Expired or obsolete certifications. A 2007 Microsoft Office certification isn't doing you any favors. Cut it.
- Every honor and award. One strong honor (Dean's List, Magna Cum Laude) is better than five minor ones. Be selective. Listing everything looks like you're padding.
- The label "Relevant Coursework." Don't use it as a subheading. If a course is worth mentioning, fold it into a bullet that shows what you did with that knowledge.
Where to Put Education on Your Resume
Placement depends entirely on your experience level. There's no single right answer — but there is a right answer for your situation.
| Your Situation | Where Education Goes | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New grad, 0–3 years experience | Above work experience | Education is your strongest credential right now |
| Mid-career, 3–7 years experience | Below work experience | Your work history carries more weight than your degree |
| Experienced professional, 7+ years | Below work experience, abbreviated | Recruiters want to see what you've done, not where you studied |
| Career changer | Below work experience (unless degree is directly relevant) | Lead with transferable experience; education supports the narrative |
| Going back to school / in-progress degree | Above work experience if it's the main qualification | Shows you're actively building credentials |
One rule that applies to everyone: don't bury education at the very bottom with no formatting. Even for senior professionals, the section deserves clean, readable formatting — just less real estate.
Not sure if your resume layout is passing ATS filters? Check your resume ATS score free before you apply.
Education Section Examples (By Career Stage)
New Graduate (Less Than 3 Years of Experience)
This candidate has a 3.7 GPA, led a student organization, and completed a relevant thesis. All three are worth showing.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Communications
The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | May 2024 | GPA: 3.7
• Senior Thesis: Analyzed social media algorithm effects on consumer behavior across 400+ survey respondents; findings cited in department newsletter
• Debate Club President: Led 12-person team to regional semifinals; managed scheduling, coaching, and event logistics
What makes this work: the bullets show real skills (research, leadership, data analysis) without padding. The GPA earns its spot at 3.7. High school is nowhere in sight.
Experienced Professional (7+ Years)
At this stage, your education entry should be brief. No bullets, no GPA, no honors. Let your work history do the talking.
Education
Master of Business Administration
Stanford Graduate School of Business | Stanford, CA | 1998
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | 1994
School names and degrees carry the weight here. Adding "Dean's List Every Semester" to a 25-year-old entry wastes space and reads as filler.
Career Changer (Degree in a Different Field)
Your degree doesn't match the role. That's fine. Use a bullet to bridge the gap — don't hide the degree, just contextualize it.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | May 2019
• Coursework in research methodology and behavioral statistics; applied to UX research practicum studying 200+ user decision patterns
That one bullet reframes a psychology degree as UX-relevant without being dishonest about what the degree actually is.
In-Progress or Incomplete Degree
Don't skip it. Format it to show progress without implying you finished something you didn't.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science — In Progress
Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | Expected May 2026
• Completed 90 credit hours; coursework in data structures, algorithms, and systems programming
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I put in the education section of my resume?
At minimum: your degree name (written out in full), school name and location, and graduation year. Add GPA only if it's 3.5+ and you graduated within the last three years. New graduates should add one or two bullet points showing academic projects or leadership roles that demonstrate relevant skills.
How do I list education on a resume if I didn't finish my degree?
List the school, your field of study, and the dates attended. Add "In Progress" or "Expected [graduation date]" if you're still enrolled. If you left without completing it, write the credit hours completed (e.g., "Completed 75 credit hours toward a B.S. in Biology"). Don't invent a degree you don't have — but don't pretend you never went to college, either.
Should education come before or after work experience?
If you have fewer than three years of experience, put education first — it's your strongest credential. If you have more than three to five years of relevant work history, put it after. The section that best qualifies you for the role should appear higher on the page.
Do I need to include my GPA on my resume?
Only if it's 3.5 or above and you graduated within the last three years. Otherwise, leave it off. A below-average GPA draws attention to a weakness that your experience might otherwise outweigh. If a job posting specifically requires a GPA, follow their instructions.
How do I list online degrees or certifications?
List them exactly like traditional credentials. Include the institution name (e.g., "Google via Coursera"), the credential name, and the date earned. Don't add "(online)" — it's unnecessary and can introduce bias without adding any useful information.
Can I omit graduation dates to avoid age discrimination?
You can drop the month for older degrees — just listing the year is common and acceptable. Don't omit the year entirely. A missing year causes ATS parsing issues and often signals the exact thing you're trying to avoid. "1998" is cleaner and less suspicious than a blank field.