How to Write a CV for a Student: A Step-by-Step UK Guide (2026)

Writing your first student CV can feel awkward because you are trying to prove you are employable before you have much employment history. The good news is that a strong student CV is not about pretending to have more experience than you do. It is about showing your education, skills, attitude and potential clearly enough that an employer can picture you doing the job.

This guide explains how to write a CV for a student in the UK, whether you are applying for a part-time job, internship, placement, volunteering role or your first graduate opportunity. You will find a section-by-section breakdown, advice for writing a CV with no experience, a copy-paste university student CV example and a free student CV template you can download and adapt.

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TL;DR: How to Write a Student CV in 7 Steps

1. Start with your contact details: name, phone number, professional email, town or city, and LinkedIn if it is ready.
2. Write a short personal statement that explains who you are, what you are studying and what type of role you want.
3. Add your education in reverse chronological order, starting with your current university, college or school.
4. List any work experience, volunteering, societies, projects or responsibilities that show useful skills.
5. Create a skills section with evidence, not just a list of buzzwords.
6. Keep the layout simple: one page if possible, two pages at most, with clear headings and consistent spacing.
7. Tailor your CV for each application by matching your examples to the job advert.

 

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What to Put on a CV as a Student

A student CV should help an employer answer three questions quickly: who are you, what can you do, and why are you suitable for this role?

You do not need a long employment history to answer those questions. Education, coursework, societies, sport, volunteering, family responsibilities and personal projects can all provide useful evidence.

The Essential Sections of a Student CV

A good student CV usually includes:

• Contact details: your name, mobile number, email address, general location and relevant profile links.
• Personal statement or personal profile: 3 to 4 sentences introducing your strengths and goals.
• Education: your current course and previous qualifications, with relevant modules or achievements where useful.
• Experience: paid work, volunteering, placements, work shadowing, societies, clubs, projects or responsibilities.
• Skills: a focused mix of transferable and practical skills backed by brief examples.
• Interests and achievements: only include these if they add something relevant or memorable.
• References: optional. It is usually enough to write “Available on request” or leave this off if space is tight.

What to Leave Off

Leave off your full home address, date of birth, National Insurance number, salary expectations and a photo unless the employer specifically asks for one.

In the UK, a student CV should usually be professional, concise and focused on the role. Avoid long lists of generic hobbies such as watching films or socialising unless you can connect them to a skill or achievement.

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How to Write Each Section of Your Student CV

Contact Details & Personal Information

Put your name at the top in a larger font, then add your phone number, email address and town or city.

Use a simple email address based on your name. If you include LinkedIn, a portfolio, GitHub or a creative profile, check that it supports your application and looks complete.

You do not need to include your full street address. A general location such as “Portsmouth” or “London” is usually enough for UK employers.

Personal Statement / Personal Profile

A personal statement for a student CV should be short, specific and easy to scan. Aim for 3 to 4 sentences. Mention what you are studying, the type of role you are applying for, and 2 or 3 strengths that match the job.

Example:

Second-year Business Management student at the University of Portsmouth with strong communication, organisation and customer service skills developed through group projects, volunteering and part-time retail work. Looking for a weekend hospitality role where I can support a busy team, build practical experience and deliver a friendly service to customers.

If you have no paid experience, replace the job example with coursework, volunteering, clubs or responsibilities. The key is to give the employer a reason to keep reading.

Education

For most students, education should appear before work experience, especially if your course is relevant to the role.

List your most recent education first. Include your university, course title, expected graduation year, A levels or equivalent qualifications, and GCSEs if they are recent or relevant.

You can add relevant modules, projects, dissertation topics or academic achievements, but keep them selective. For example, a marketing student applying for a social media internship might mention digital marketing, consumer behaviour and a campaign project.

Work Experience (and What to Do If You Have None)

Use reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent role. For each entry, include the job title, organisation, dates and 2 to 4 bullet points showing what you did and what skills you used.

Focus on actions and results rather than a plain task list.

Instead of:

“Worked on the till and helped customers.”

Write:

“Served customers during busy weekend shifts, handled card and cash payments accurately, and helped resolve simple product queries.”

No work experience yet? Create a section called “Relevant Experience” and include volunteering, societies, peer mentoring, family business support, course projects or school responsibilities. Experience does not have to be paid to be useful.

Skills for a Student CV

The best skills for a student CV are the ones the employer is already asking for. Read the job advert and look for repeated themes such as communication, reliability, teamwork, problem-solving, attention to detail, IT skills or customer service.

Useful student CV skills include:

• Communication: presented group project findings to seminar classes and adapted explanations for different audiences.
• Teamwork: worked with a society committee to plan events and share responsibilities.
• Time management: balanced coursework deadlines, lectures and part-time shifts.
• Customer service: helped visitors, customers or new students feel welcome and supported.
• IT skills: confident with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Excel basics, Canva, social media scheduling tools or course-specific software.
• Languages: include your level honestly, such as conversational Spanish or fluent Mandarin.

Try not to list skills with no context. A short example is much stronger than a long list of generic words.

Hobbies, Interests & References

Hobbies can help if they show commitment, initiative or a useful talking point. A student who runs a blog, captains a sports team, volunteers locally or organises society events has evidence of motivation and responsibility.

Keep this section brief and skip anything that does not strengthen the application.

References are usually not needed on a first CV. If space allows, you can add “References available on request”, but many employers assume this.

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How to Write a CV for a Student with No Experience

A CV for a student with no experience should shift the focus from job titles to evidence.

Employers hiring students for part-time jobs or entry-level roles are not expecting a long career history. They are looking for signs that you are reliable, willing to learn, organised and able to work with other people.

Transferable Skills from School, Clubs & Volunteering

Start by writing down everything you have done that involved responsibility. This could include:

• Being a course rep
• Helping at an open day
• Babysitting
• Tutoring a younger student
• Fundraising
• Caring responsibilities
• Completing a group project
• Taking part in a sports team
• Helping a family member with admin

Then translate each activity into skills. A group coursework project can show teamwork, planning and presentation skills. A sports team can show commitment and communication. Helping at a school event can show reliability and confidence with people.

Use this simple formula:

Activity + responsibility + skill + result.

Example:

“Helped organise a charity bake sale, coordinating stock, pricing and a rota for six volunteers, raising over £300 for a local cause.”

That is much stronger than simply writing “good teamwork skills”.

Using a Part-Time Job Application to Your Advantage

If you are writing a CV for a part-time job as a student, match your examples to the type of workplace.

Retail, hospitality and campus jobs often value punctuality, friendliness, calm communication and availability. Tutoring, admin and reception roles may put more weight on organisation, written communication and attention to detail.

Add a short availability line if it helps the employer, such as:

“Available evenings and weekends during term time, with additional weekday availability outside assessment periods.”

Keep it honest so you do not overpromise around lectures or exams.

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Student CV Example

You can use the student CV example below as a guide. Adapt the wording to your own course, experience and target role rather than copying it word for word. Or click here for a downloadable template.

University Student CV Example

Aisha Khan
Portsmouth | 07123 456789 | aisha.khan@email.co.uk | linkedin.com/in/aishakhan

Personal Statement
Second-year Psychology student at the University of Portsmouth with strong communication, organisation and problem-solving skills developed through academic projects, volunteering and society involvement. Looking for a part-time customer service role where I can support a busy team, help customers feel welcome and build practical workplace experience.

Education
University of Portsmouth | BSc Psychology | Expected 2027

• Relevant modules: Research Methods, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology
• Group research project: coordinated survey responses, organised weekly team tasks and presented findings to seminar group

Havant Sixth Form College | A levels | 2022-2024

• Psychology B, English Language B, Sociology C

Relevant Experience
Welcome Week Volunteer | University of Portsmouth Students’ Union | Sept 2025

• Welcomed new students, answered campus questions and directed visitors to events and support services.
• Worked with a small team to manage queues and keep information points organised during busy periods.
• Used clear, friendly communication with students from different backgrounds.

Course Representative | University of Portsmouth | Oct 2025-present

• Collected feedback from classmates and summarised key points for staff-student meetings.
• Balanced representative responsibilities with coursework deadlines and lectures.

Skills

• Communication: confident speaking to students, staff and visitors in person and by email.
• Teamwork: experienced in group projects, volunteering shifts and society planning.
• Organisation: able to manage deadlines, rota commitments and meeting notes.
• IT: Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Canva and basic Excel.

Achievements & Interests

• Member of Psychology Society and weekly netball club.
• Completed online safeguarding awareness training for volunteering role.

References
Available on request.

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Student CV Formatting & Layout Tips

Length, Font & Structure

Keep your student CV to one page if you can. Two pages is acceptable if you have relevant work, volunteering, projects or placements, but every section should earn its space.

Use a clean font such as Calibri, Arial or Aptos at around 10.5 to 12 pt. Avoid cramped margins, bright colours, decorative graphics and tiny text.

Use clear headings, consistent dates and short bullet points. Save the file as a PDF unless the employer asks for a Word document. Name it professionally, for example:

Aisha-Khan-CV.pdf

Tailoring Your CV to Each Application

A strong student CV is tailored. Before you apply, highlight the skills and requirements in the job advert, then adjust your personal statement, skills and experience bullets to match.

This does not mean inventing experience. It means choosing the most relevant evidence for that employer.

For example, if a cafe job asks for reliability and customer service, lead with volunteering, open day support or society events where you helped people. If an internship asks for research and analysis, lead with modules, projects and software skills.

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Student CV FAQs

How long should a student CV be?

A student CV should be one page, or at most two. Recruiters spend seconds on each CV, so keep it concise and prioritise your most relevant education, skills and experience at the top.

What should a student put on a CV with no experience?

Focus on transferable skills from school, college, volunteering, clubs and societies, such as teamwork, communication, time management and reliability, alongside your education and a strong personal statement. Achievements and responsibilities count even if they were not paid work.

Do I need a personal statement on a student CV?

Yes. A short personal statement of around 3 to 4 sentences at the top of your CV is highly recommended for students. It quickly tells an employer who you are, what you are studying and what you are looking for.

What skills look good on a student CV?

Employers value a mix of soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, time management and problem-solving, and practical skills, such as IT, languages and customer service. Give a brief example of how you have used each skill rather than only listing it.

Should a student CV include a photo?

In the UK, you should usually leave a photo off your student CV unless the employer specifically asks for one. Your CV should focus on your skills, education, experience and suitability for the role.

How do I write a CV for my first part-time job?

Keep it simple and relevant. Start with a short personal statement, list your education, add any volunteering, school, society or project experience, then show skills such as reliability, communication, teamwork and availability.

If you have any questions about student accommodation, explore the Unilife FAQs or book your student accommodation when you are ready.