CV for study abroad: masters and PhD applications

An admissions reader is not hiring you. They are asking whether you can do the course, and for a research degree, whether you can do research.

First, read what the university asks for

Requirements differ from university to university and even between departments. Some ask for a "CV", some for a "resume", some set a page limit, some give a template, some ask for particular headings. The department's own application page is the authority. Follow its limit and its wording exactly; what follows is general guidance for when the instruction is simply "upload your CV".

What the reader looks for

• Academic record: degrees, institutions, grades, rank if notable.
• Preparation for this subject: relevant courses, projects, dissertation.
• Research exposure (for research degrees): projects, laboratory or field work, a thesis, any publication or presentation.
• Relevant work or internships.
• Skills that the course will use: programming, statistics, laboratory techniques, languages.
• Evidence of initiative: awards, scholarships, competitions, positions of responsibility.

Sections and order

1. Name and contact details (email, phone with country code, city and country)
2. Education
3. Research experience, or academic projects
4. Publications and presentations, if any
5. Work experience and internships
6. Skills: technical, laboratory, languages
7. Awards, scholarships and test scores where asked
8. Activities and service
9. Referees, if the form does not collect them separately

Education

Give the degree, institution, city and country, dates, and your grade in the form on your transcript, with the scale: "8.6/10 CGPA" or "First Class with Distinction, 78%". Do not convert to another country's grading system yourself; if the university wants a conversion it will say how. Add rank or position if you have one ("2nd in a class of 120"), and four to six relevant courses if they are not obvious from the degree title.

Research experience and projects

This is the heart of a research application. For each project give the title, the supervisor and institution, the dates, and two or three lines: the question, what you did yourself, the method or tools, and what came of it.

For a taught masters, a strong course project or internship serves the same purpose. Describe your own part plainly; readers discount vague claims about group work.

Work experience

Include it where it bears on the course. For professional programmes such as management, work experience may matter more than research; then put it second, after education, and describe responsibilities and results as you would on a resume. Our neighbour resume site shows how to write such points.

Test scores

Standardised test and language test scores are normally entered in the application form and reported officially by the testing body. Add them to the CV only if the university asks or if there is no other place for them.

Length and style

• One to two pages for most masters applicants; two to three for PhD applicants with research output. Obey any stated limit.
• Plain layout, one font, clear headings, no photograph unless the country's custom or the university asks. See CV by country.
• Dates in an unambiguous form with the month written out: "Aug 2023", not "08/23".
• Explain Indian terms a foreign reader may not know: write the full name of an examination or body once, and give grades with their scale.
• Save as a PDF named with your name.

What to leave out

• Family details, date of birth, religion, marital status, unless specifically asked.
• School-level achievements, unless nationally notable or you are applying straight from school.
• A long list of online course certificates. Keep two or three that are relevant.
• Hobbies, unless they show something relevant or remarkable.
• Any claim you could not discuss in detail with a professor in that field.

CV and statement of purpose

The two documents do different jobs. The CV lists facts; the statement explains your interests and plans and connects the facts. Do not paste paragraphs of the statement into the CV, and make sure dates and titles agree between the two and with your transcripts.

Before you upload

1. Check every date and grade against your certificates and transcripts.
2. Ask a teacher who knows the system abroad to read it.
3. Confirm that links open without logging in.
4. Check the file size and type the portal accepts.
5. Keep the exact file you uploaded for each university.

Questions people ask

More CV guides

Sample CVs

General guidance. This page gives general suggestions, reviewed in November 2026. If an institution, employer or country gives its own form, format or instruction, follow that. Every person, institution and publication in our examples is invented. Nothing here is legal, immigration or professional advice.