We’ll show you two well-written undergraduate resume examples with different experience levels. Then, we’ll walk you through how to write your own undergraduate student resume so you’re best prepared for professional success both during college and as a recent graduate.
Our free-to-use resume builder can make you a resume in as little as 5 minutes. Pick the template you want, and our software will format everything for you.
1. Undergraduate resume (with experience)
This recent grad uses their experience with social media marketing at a server job and a relevant internship to complete the work experience section of their resume.
2. Undergraduate resume (no experience)
If you don’t have any relevant work experience, do what this student does and use extracurriculars and coursework to fill out your resume. Just try to make sure that the information you choose to include is somehow relevant to the job you want.
If you want more resume writing ideas, check out these other samples:
- College graduate resume
- College freshman resume
- Internship resume example
- Internship cover letter sample
- Scholarship cover letter example
Undergraduate resume template
Here’s an undergraduate resume template to help you get started with your resume:
OBJECTIVE
Motivated undergraduate student pursuing a degree in [your major] with a strong interest in [field/industry]. Skilled at [relevant skill 1], [relevant skill 2], and [relevant skill 3]. Eager to leverage my [relevant experience] to contribute to the continued success of [Company Name]”.
EDUCATION
[University Name] – [City, State]
[Degree & Major]
Expected graduation date: [Date]
- GPA: [Only include it if your GPA is above 3.5]
- Relevant coursework: [List 3-5 courses that relate to the job or internship you’re applying for]
- Honors and awards: [Dean’s List, scholarships, or other achievements]
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Internship Position Title – [Company/Organization Name], [City, State]
[Month, Year] – [Month, Year]
- Use action verbs to describe your contributions (e.g., “developed,” “analyzed,” “coordinated”). Be specific about your role and the value you added.
- Quantify your achievements whenever possible (e.g., “Improved social media engagement by 20%” or “Assisted in organizing events attended by 500+ participants”).
Volunteer Role Title – [Organization Name], [City, State]
[Month, Year] – [Month, Year]
- Focus on transferable skills (e.g., teamwork, communication, leadership) and how your efforts supported the organization’s goals.
- Include any challenges you helped overcome or processes you improved.
SKILLS
- Instead of listing every skill you have, focus on the ones that will help you excel at your job.
PROJECTS
- This section is optional, but including academic or personal projects can help your application when you lack work experience.
How to make a resume as an undergraduate student
Getting hired is challenging for most people, but it can be especially difficult for recent college graduates.
Recent survey data shows that the job-search process is becoming increasingly competitive after a large number of employees were laid off in sectors like tech and healthcare.
This means being able to write a great resume as an undergraduate student has never been so essential to landing the job you want out of college.
1. Add your contact information
Put your name, email, phone number, address, and relevant social media profiles at the top of your resume.
Adding contact information on your resume may seem self-explanatory, but here are some tips to help you avoid common mistakes:
- Your name should be readable at the top of the page (use a bigger font).
- Use a professional email address. If you don’t have one yet, make a new Gmail with your first and last name (or initials) with periods or hyphens mixed in if needed.
- Adjust your social media privacy settings if you have any less-than-professional photos or videos floating around.
Here’s how your resume header should look:
2. Open with a convincing resume objective
A resume objective is a brief 2-4 sentence resume introduction that provides an overview of your most notable qualifications, skills, and goals. Your objective is an essential part of your undergraduate resume, because it lets you explain why you’re qualified despite having limited work experience.
Here are some points to remember when you’re writing a resume objective for your undergrad resume:
- Keep your objective short. Hiring managers scan resumes quickly, so it’s important to communicate your qualifications concisely.
- Write (or at least adjust) your objective each time you send out a resume. Target your objective to the job you’re applying for, referencing the most important requirements in the job ad.
- In the last sentence, state your interest in the job and note how your skills and career goals make you a good fit.
Here’s an example of a resume objective for an undergrad resume that would impress any hiring manager:
OBJECTIVE
Graphic Design student with industry-standard design software proficiency and a firm grasp of fundamental design principles. Proven ability to communicate concepts visually as demonstrated by results from relevant class projects and pro bono work. Excited to apply design expertise as a [Position Title] for [Company Name].
3. Write a detailed education section
As a recent college graduate, you probably don’t have a long work history to include on your resume. To show employers what you’re capable of, draw their attention to the accomplishments you do have.
To highlight your most important achievements, list your resume education section before your work or relevant experience (you’ll switch the two sections on resumes later in your career).
Your education section includes the following information:
- The name of your school
- Your area of study
- Your graduation date (or expected graduation date)
- Any honors you received
- Your GPA — but only if it’s 3.5 or higher
Also, use your education section to highlight any relevant coursework or projects you completed that showcase valuable skills. If possible, use hard numbers to demonstrate your achievements, like in the example below:
EDUCATION
University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, May 20XX | GPA: 3.6 | Honors: Cum Laude
Relevant Coursework
- Led a market research project that surveyed 680 local consumers and used the information gathered
to pitch marketing plans for local businesses, earning a paid internship at Happy Paws Pet Supplies - Started a marketing tips blog as a project for a freshman-level marketing class, successfully growing it to 450 subscribers by graduation via social media promotion
If you’re still working toward finishing your degree, make sure you know how to list education in progress on your resume.
4. Add relevant work experience
You may not have job experience in your field yet, but you’ve probably worked summer jobs or part-time gigs when you were in high school. Put any jobs you’ve held in your resume’s work experience section, as long as you can relate the experience to your target job.
For instance, if you’re applying to an entry-level sales position, mention your upselling success rate when you were a waiter. If you’re going into graphic design, write about the time you designed posters that grew your babysitting business by 80%.
Your work experience section is also where you can list your internships or volunteer experience. Here’s an example of a strong work experience section for an undergraduate:
WORK EXPERIENCE
Happy Paws Pet Supplies, Athens, GA
Marketing Intern, May 20XX – Present
- Implemented a social media marketing plan targeting local consumers with paid campaigns, giveaways, and event promotions
- Sent weekly email newsletters, achieving a 24% open rate and a 1.9% click-through rate Introduced various SMS/email coupon campaigns, resulting in a 2.4% redemption rate
A La Mode, Athens, GA
Server, Jul 20XX – May 20XX
- Pitched drink and dessert specials to restaurant guests, leading to a 40% upsell success rate and earning a top-performing server bonus in 19 of 24 months on the job
- Started an Instagram page for the restaurant, growing the profile from 0 to 1,500 followers and resulting in an average of 40 DM reservations per month
- Recruited 10 new employees via interaction on local online job boards
5. Include job or field-related skills
The late-night study sessions, presentations, and group projects from your college days are about to pay off. Whether you know it or not, all that work has given you a valuable set of both hard and soft skills that employers want to see on your resume.
Soft skills for undergraduates
Some soft skills you likely developed while at college and should add to your resume include the following:
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Communication skills
- Written communication
- Open-mindedness
- Organizational skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Self-motivation
- Brainstorming
- Critical thinking
Hard skills for undergraduates
Hard skills picked up in college vary depending on your area of study. For example, a software engineering major exits school with technical skills like fluency in multiple coding languages, while a graphic design major has developed expertise in Adobe Photoshop.
No matter your major, chances are you have a few of the hard skills hiring managers often look for, such as:
- Computer skills
- Microsoft Office
- Research skills
- Writing and editing
- Google Docs
- Google Sheets
- Google Calendar
- Data entry
- Presentation
- Language skills
One of the best ways to make your resume is by filling out one of our free resume templates. All our templates are designed by experts and free to download for Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
6. List related extracurricular activities
If your undergraduate resume has too much blank space at the bottom, fill it with relevant extracurricular activities.
Joining optional groups like fraternities or sororities and taking part in various events indicates you’re self-motivated and work well with others. If slam poetry or comedy open mics are your thing, list them — performing arts require creativity and public speaking, skills that employers love to see on a resume.
To get an idea of how you’d format your extracurricular activities section on your resume, check out this example:
EXTRACURRICULARS
University of North Dakota Advertising Club
Designer | Grand Forks, ND | May 20XX – Present
- Supply hundreds of original graphics and images for club flyers, videos, and event banners/signs
- Made images for and acted in the club’s viral spoof video ad, earning 2 million views in 8 months
- Provided images and video design work for the club’s ad campaign pitch at the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC), placing 3rd overall
University of North Dakota Student Government Association
Treasurer | Grand Forks, ND | Jun 20XX – Jun 20XX
- Allocated a $500,000 budget, funding various concerts, contests, and student organization activities to enrich campus life
- Chaired the yearbook committee, leading a team of student volunteers to design and distribute 13,500 copies of the 20XX-20XX UND yearbook
- Designed T-shirts to sell and raise funds for local charities, generating $20,000 in donations
7. Save your resume as a PDF or Word document
Most employers will specify what format they want you to use for your application documents in the job ad. But if they don’t, save it as a PDF or make your resume in Word. These are the file formats most commonly used for job applications and they’re compatible with ATS software companies use to screen applicants.
Additionally, if you save your resume as a PDF it will ensure it looks the same on all devices (and that the hiring manager doesn’t accidentally delete or change any of the content).
Ida Pettersson
Career Coach and Resume Expert
Committed to empowering job seekers of all experience levels to take the next step in their careers, Ida helps professionals navigate the job hunt from start to finish. After graduating from New College of Florida with a B.A. in Philosophy and Chinese Language and Culture, Ida moved to Hong Kong to begin her own career journey and finally settled in Taiwan. Her insights on resume writing, interview strategies, and career development have been featured on websites such as LawCareers.net, Digital Marketer, and SheCanCode.
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