A scholarship academic CV should lead with the evidence most relevant to the award: education, research, publications, projects, teaching, leadership, awards and skills. Use reverse chronology, precise labels and outcome-focused bullets; never inflate publication status or responsibilities.
Academic CV or résumé?
An academic CV documents scholarly preparation and can grow beyond one page. A résumé is usually shorter and selected for a particular role. Scholarship instructions may use the words differently, so follow the document name, page limit and template in the official application.
| Academic CV | Education, research, publications, presentations, teaching, awards, methods and relevant service. |
|---|---|
| Professional CV/résumé | Selected experience, achievements and skills most relevant to a programme or leadership award. |
| Required template | Use it exactly. Australia Awards Bangladesh, for example, publishes its own CV template for the relevant intake. |
Recommended section order
Order sections by relevance, not habit. A research applicant may place research experience immediately after education; an impact-focused award may need professional leadership earlier.
Identity and contact
Name, professional email, city and country, phone, and one relevant profile link. A full street address, photograph, birth date or personal data should appear only when required.
Education
Degree, field, institution, location and dates. Add thesis title, supervisor, result or selected coursework only when useful.
Research and projects
State the question, your role, methods and output. Distinguish independent research, team projects and coursework.
Publications and presentations
Use a consistent citation style. Separate published, accepted, under review and in preparation work. Never combine these statuses.
Experience, leadership and service
Choose evidence that supports the award’s purpose. Describe contribution and result rather than listing duties.
Skills, awards and languages
Name techniques, software and language level accurately. Avoid star ratings and generic soft-skill lists.
Write evidence, not job descriptions
Weak: Responsible for a student research survey. Stronger: Designed a 28-item survey, coordinated data collection from 240 respondents and analysed results in R for an undergraduate thesis on [topic]. Weak: Helped organise community events. Stronger: Led a six-member volunteer team that delivered four workshops to 180 secondary-school students; secured two local partners and tracked attendance.
Use numbers only when accurate and meaningful. Explain specialist acronyms the evaluator may not know.
Formatting that survives a 30-second scan
- Keep headings, dates, punctuation and spacing consistent.
- Use reverse chronological order within each section.
- Put the most relevant information on the first page.
- Use readable type, strong contrast and enough white space.
- Save as PDF unless the portal requests another format.
- Name the file professionally: Firstname-Lastname-Academic-CV.pdf.
- Check that links work and selectable text has not become an image.
Harvard’s GSAS guide notes that there is no single best format and that many graduate-student CVs run two to five pages. A scholarship’s own limit still overrides that general range.
The credibility audit
Frequently asked questions
Should an academic CV be one page?
Not automatically. Use the application’s stated limit. Without one, include relevant evidence concisely rather than compressing scholarly work into an unreadable page.
Should I include a photo?
Only when explicitly required. It is generally unnecessary for scholarship and research applications.
Can I list an unpublished paper?
Yes, if the category states its real status, such as “manuscript in preparation” or “under review”. Do not list it as published or accepted.