How to Write a Scholarship CV (With Examples & Free Template)

A scholarship CV is more than a list of your education and work history. It is a focused document that helps a scholarship committee quickly understand your academic preparation, relevant experience, achievements, leadership, research, and potential.

A strong scholarship CV does not try to include everything you have ever done. Instead, it presents the most relevant evidence for the scholarship and programme you are applying for.

This guide explains how to structure and write a scholarship CV, what to include in each section, how to turn ordinary responsibilities into stronger achievement statements, and how to tailor your CV to different scholarship opportunities. It also includes practical examples and a free editable scholarship CV template.

Your CV should support the rest of your application without trying to replace it. For guidance on the narrative side of your application, see How to Write a Winning Scholarship Personal Statement (With Examples).

What Is a Scholarship CV?

A scholarship CV is a curriculum vitae prepared specifically for a scholarship or academic funding application.

Although it may contain many of the same sections as a professional CV, its emphasis is different. Instead of focusing primarily on employment suitability, a scholarship CV should make it easy for a selection committee to assess your:

• Academic preparation
• Research experience and interests
• Relevant professional experience
• Leadership and initiative
• Community or volunteer involvement
• Awards and achievements
• Publications, projects, or other academic work
• Skills relevant to your proposed programme

Your CV provides the evidence and background that allow the committee to understand your preparation and achievements.

What Do Scholarship Committees Look for in a CV?

There is no single checklist that applies to every scholarship. Different programmes place different weight on academic achievement, leadership, research, professional experience, community service, or other criteria.

Your CV should therefore make the evidence most relevant to the particular opportunity easy to find.

Academic Preparation

Include degrees, institutions, academic distinctions, relevant coursework where useful, dissertations or final-year projects, and other evidence of preparation for your proposed field.

Relevant Experience

Your professional, research, teaching, project, or other experience can demonstrate that you have already engaged with the area you want to study.

Leadership and Initiative

Show situations where you took responsibility, led people or projects, solved problems, created an initiative, or contributed to meaningful change.

Achievements

Awards, measurable improvements, publications, completed projects, competitive selections, presentations, and other concrete accomplishments can provide stronger evidence than a list of responsibilities.

Community and Service

Where relevant to the scholarship, include volunteering, community projects, mentoring, advocacy, professional service, or other contributions.

Programme Relevance

A strong CV should help the reviewer see why your previous preparation makes sense alongside the programme or scholarship you are pursuing.

How Long Should a Scholarship CV Be?

There is no universal page limit for every scholarship.

For many applicants, one to two pages may be enough to present the most important information clearly. Research-heavy applications, particularly at Master’s or PhD level, may reasonably require additional pages when the programme permits it and the extra content is relevant.

The goal is not to reach a particular page count.

Relevance matters more than length.

If removing a section makes your qualifications harder to understand, keep it. If a section contains information that does not strengthen your application, remove it.

Always follow the scholarship’s specific formatting or page-limit instructions when they are provided.

Scholarship CV vs Résumé: What’s the Difference?

The terms CV and résumé are used differently across countries, institutions, employers, and application systems.

For scholarship applications, the important issue is not the label alone but what the scholarship asks applicants to submit.

A scholarship may request a CV, résumé, academic CV, or a specific format. Follow those instructions rather than assuming that one document type always has a fixed length or structure.

If no specific format is provided, create a clear academic and professional document that prioritises the evidence most relevant to the scholarship.

How to Structure a Scholarship CV

A scholarship CV does not need to contain every possible section.

Think of the structure as a flexible framework. Keep sections that strengthen your application, remove sections that do not apply to you, and reorder them according to the scholarship’s priorities.

A common structure is:

1. Name and contact information
2. Professional or academic profile — optional
3. Education
4. Research experience — where relevant
5. Work experience
6. Leadership experience
7. Volunteer or community experience
8. Projects — where relevant
9. Awards and honours
10. Certifications — where relevant
11. Technical and professional skills
12. Publications and conferences — where relevant
13. References — only when requested

You do not have to use every section.

For example, a research-focused applicant may place Research Experience and Publications near the top, while an applicant whose strongest evidence is professional leadership may give Leadership Experience greater prominence.

1. Name and Contact Information

Your name should be easy to identify at the top of the document.

Include:

• Full name
• City and country
• Professional email address
• Phone number, where appropriate
• LinkedIn profile, if relevant
• Portfolio or professional website, if relevant

Use a professional email address that you check regularly.

You generally do not need to include information such as your marital status, religion, national identification number, passport number, salary, or other personal details unless the scholarship specifically requests them.

2. Professional Profile — Optional

A short profile can help if it immediately establishes your academic focus, research interests, or professional direction.

Keep it to approximately three or four sentences and make it specific.

Weak:

Passionate and hardworking graduate seeking an opportunity to further my education and make a positive impact in society.

This could describe almost any applicant.

Stronger:

Electrical and Electronics Engineering graduate with research interests in renewable energy systems and sustainable power solutions. Interested in expanding access to reliable clean energy through engineering innovation, applied research, and practical energy-system development.

The profile should introduce your direction, not become a condensed personal statement.

If your Education and Experience sections already communicate your background clearly, you can omit the profile.

3. Education

For most scholarship applicants, Education is one of the most important sections.

List your qualifications in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent.

Include:

• Degree
• Institution
• Location
• Dates
• CGPA or degree classification, where relevant
• Academic honours, where relevant
• Thesis, dissertation, or final-year project, where relevant

Example

B.Eng. Electrical and Electronics Engineering
University of Example, Nigeria
2019–2024
Second Class Upper Division

Final-Year Project:
Designed and evaluated a solar-powered monitoring system for improving energy management in small-scale applications.

Do not add every course you have taken. Include coursework only when it is relevant and helps demonstrate preparation for the programme.

4. Research Experience — Optional

Research experience can be particularly important for research-oriented Master’s and PhD applications.

Include:

• Research position or role
• Institution or organisation
• Dates
• Research topic or project
• Methods or responsibilities
• Results, outputs, or contributions

Example

Research Assistant
Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Example
June 2023 – May 2024

• Collected and analysed field data from 120 household energy-use surveys.
• Developed a dataset used to evaluate household adoption patterns for renewable-energy technologies.
• Presented findings at a departmental research seminar.

If you have publications, conference presentations, research projects, laboratory work, or a substantial dissertation, these may also strengthen this section.

If you do not have formal research experience, do not create a section simply to fill space. Relevant academic projects can sometimes demonstrate research ability elsewhere in the CV.

5. Work Experience

Include professional experience that helps demonstrate your preparation, skills, leadership, achievements, or relevance to the scholarship.

You do not necessarily need to list every job you have ever held.

For each position, provide:

Job Title
Organisation | Location
Dates

Then use bullet points to describe meaningful contributions.

Avoid Listing Only Responsibilities

Weak:

• Responsible for managing customer accounts.
• Responsible for preparing reports.
• Worked with other members of the team.

These statements describe a job but provide little evidence of what you accomplished.

Show Contribution and Results

Stronger:

• Managed a portfolio of 45 customer accounts and improved follow-up procedures to reduce unresolved service requests.
• Prepared monthly performance reports used by management to identify recurring operational issues.
• Coordinated with a five-member team to improve customer response procedures.

Do not invent numbers to make a bullet point appear stronger. Use figures when you can support them; otherwise, describe the concrete change or contribution.

6. Leadership Experience — Optional

Scholarships that value leadership need more than a list of titles.

A position such as:

President, Student Association

does not by itself demonstrate leadership.

Show what you actually did.

Example

President, Engineering Students Association
University of Example
2022–2023

• Led a 12-member executive team responsible for academic and professional development activities.
• Organised three industry-focused events attended by more than 300 students.
• Introduced a peer mentoring programme connecting final-year students with first- and second-year students.

The goal is to show responsibility, action, and evidence of results.

7. Volunteer & Community Experience — Optional

Include community or volunteer work when it is relevant to your scholarship profile.

This can include:

• Community development
• Mentoring
• Non-profit work
• Youth programmes
• Advocacy
• Professional service
• Educational outreach
• Other meaningful voluntary contributions

Example

Volunteer Tutor
Community Learning Initiative
2023–2024

• Provided weekly mathematics tutoring to secondary-school students preparing for national examinations.
• Developed revision materials used by participating students during weekend sessions.

Again, focus on your contribution rather than simply naming the organisation.

8. Projects — Optional

Projects can be particularly valuable for applicants with limited formal employment or research experience.

For each project, explain:

What you worked on → your role → methods or skills used → outcome or significance.

Example

Solar Energy Monitoring System
Final-Year Engineering Project | 2024

• Designed a prototype system for monitoring household solar-energy generation and consumption.
• Applied circuit design, sensor integration, data analysis, and system testing.
• Evaluated the prototype under different operating conditions and documented the results.

Projects do not have to be technical. Research, policy, community, academic, entrepreneurial, or interdisciplinary projects can also be included when they strengthen your application.

9. Awards & Honours — Optional

Include meaningful academic, professional, leadership, competition, or community awards.

Example

• Best Final-Year Engineering Project — Faculty of Engineering, University of Example, 2024
• Academic Excellence Award — Engineering Students Association, 2023
• Leadership Recognition Award — Student Development Initiative, 2022

Prioritise distinctions that demonstrate something relevant to your preparation or achievements.

10. Certifications — Optional

Include relevant certifications that add value to your application.

Example

• AI Career Essentials — ALX, 2025
• Project Management Fundamentals — Example Institute, 2024
• Data Analysis with Excel — Example Academy, 2023

Do not fill this section with every short online course you have completed. Relevance and credibility matter more than quantity.

11. Technical & Professional Skills

Keep this section concise and specific.

Instead of writing:

Hardworking, communication, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving

use identifiable competencies.

Example

Software: MATLAB, AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel
Technical: Solar PV system design, electrical installation, load analysis
Data: Excel data analysis, basic Python
Languages: English — Fluent; French — Intermediate

Only claim skills you can genuinely demonstrate.

12. Publications & Conferences — Optional

This section is particularly useful for research-oriented applicants.

List publications, conference papers, presentations, posters, or other academic outputs in a consistent format.

Example

• Title of Research Paper. Journal of Renewable Energy Studies, 2025.
• Presentation Title. International Conference on Sustainable Energy, 2024.

If you have no publications or conference activity, simply remove the section.

13. References — Only When Requested

Include references only when the scholarship or application instructions request them.

If requested, provide the referee’s:

• Full name
• Position
• Institution or organisation
• Professional email
• Phone number, where appropriate

Do not include “References available upon request” simply to fill space.

For detailed guidance on choosing and preparing a referee, see How to Get a Strong Scholarship Recommendation Letter (With Examples).

How to Turn Duties Into Strong Scholarship CV Statements

One of the easiest ways to improve a CV is to replace descriptions of routine responsibilities with evidence of contribution.

A useful formula is:

Action + What You Did + Context + Result/Impact

Example 1: Work Experience

Weak:

Managed social media accounts.

Stronger:

Managed social media content across three platforms, increasing consistent weekly publishing and improving audience engagement through a structured content schedule.

Example 2: Leadership

Weak:

Organised student events.

Stronger:

Coordinated four student development events involving more than 250 participants and worked with university partners to secure speakers and logistical support.

Example 3: Volunteering

Weak:

Helped students with their studies.

Stronger:

Provided weekly academic support to secondary-school students and developed revision materials to help participants prepare for national examinations.

These examples illustrate the same principle you should apply throughout the CV: show what you did and what resulted from it, rather than merely naming a responsibility.

How to Tailor Your Scholarship CV

Do not submit exactly the same CV to every scholarship without reviewing it first.

Start by examining:

• Scholarship objectives
• Selection criteria
• Programme requirements
• Requested documents
• Your proposed field of study
• Experiences that demonstrate your fit

Then adjust the emphasis of your CV.

For example, if you are applying for a research-focused programme, you may place:

Education → Research Experience → Publications → Projects → Awards

near the top.

For a leadership-focused scholarship, you may give greater prominence to:

Education → Leadership → Community Experience → Professional Experience → Awards

You are not changing your history. You are changing what the reviewer sees first and how easily they can identify your strongest evidence.

How to Format Your Scholarship CV

A good scholarship CV should be easy to scan.

Unless the scholarship specifies otherwise, use a clean, conservative format.

Recommended Formatting

• Name: approximately 16pt, bold
• Contact details: approximately 11pt
• Section headings: approximately 12–14pt, bold
• Institution/position: approximately 11–12pt, bold
• Body text: approximately 10.5–11pt
• Margins: approximately 1 inch (2.54 cm)
• Line spacing: approximately 1.0–1.15
• Font: Calibri, Arial, or another professional, readable font
• Colour: Black text is a safe default

These are recommendations, not universal scholarship requirements. If the scholarship provides specific formatting instructions, follow those instructions instead.

Keep Formatting Consistent

Use the same approach for:

• Dates
• Job titles
• Institution names
• Bullet points
• Spacing
• Section headings

Avoid excessive colours, decorative graphics, multiple font families, or complicated layouts unless the specific application calls for them.

Common Scholarship CV Mistakes to Avoid

1. Making the CV Too Long

Adding irrelevant information does not make your application stronger.

Keep the document focused on evidence that supports your application.

2. Listing Duties Instead of Achievements

A job title and list of responsibilities tell the reviewer what your role was.

Achievements show what you actually contributed.

3. Using Generic Descriptions

Phrases such as “hardworking,” “passionate,” and “excellent team player” have little value without evidence.

4. Including Everything You Have Ever Done

Your CV is not a personal archive.

Select information that is relevant to the scholarship and programme.

5. Using One CV for Every Scholarship

Different scholarships value different forms of evidence.

Tailor the emphasis accordingly.

6. Inventing Numbers

Never manufacture statistics simply to make your achievements sound impressive.

If you don’t have an exact figure, describe the contribution accurately.

7. Ignoring the Scholarship’s Instructions

A beautifully formatted CV can still be unsuitable if it ignores a specified page limit, document format, naming convention, or required structure.

Always follow the application instructions.

Adapting Your CV to Your Experience

You do not need extraordinary experiences to create a strong CV. You need to present your actual experiences clearly and selectively.

A student with limited employment history can highlight:

• Academic projects
• Research
• Leadership
• Volunteering
• Awards
• Relevant skills

An experienced professional may place greater emphasis on:

• Professional achievements
• Leadership
• Research
• Projects
• Professional development
• Community or policy contributions

The strongest version is the one that accurately represents your own evidence and makes its relevance easy to understand.

Free Scholarship CV Template

To make the process easier, StudyFunded provides a free editable scholarship CV template.

The template is designed as a flexible framework, not a form that you must complete from top to bottom.

What the Template Includes

• Professional Profile
• Education
• Research Experience
• Work Experience
• Leadership Experience
• Volunteer Experience
• Projects
• Awards & Honours
• Certifications
• Technical & Professional Skills
• Publications & Conferences
• References, where required

The template also includes formatting guidance and prompts to help you turn your experiences into concise, evidence-based CV entries.

How to Use the Template

1. Replace the placeholder text with your actual information.
2. Delete sections that do not apply to your background.
3. Reorder sections according to the scholarship’s priorities.
4. Use specific examples and measurable evidence where you can support them.
5. Check the scholarship’s instructions before finalising the document.
6. Save the final version in the format requested by the scholarship.

What to Leave Out of Your Scholarship CV

A strong CV does not become stronger simply because it is longer. Unless specifically requested, you generally do not need:

• Irrelevant work experience
• Hobbies that do not strengthen your application
• Salary information
• Expected salary
• Unnecessary personal details
• Passport or national identification numbers
• References when the application does not request them
• Long lists of unrelated certificates
• Unsupported claims about your abilities

The objective is not to produce the longest CV. It is to produce the clearest evidence of why your background fits the opportunity.

Final Scholarship CV Checklist

Before submitting your CV, ask:

• Does the CV follow the scholarship’s instructions?
• Is my name and contact information clear?
• Does my Education section accurately represent my academic preparation?
• Have I included relevant research, projects, leadership, or professional experience?
• Do my bullet points show contributions rather than only duties?
• Have I removed irrelevant information?
• Have I tailored the order and emphasis to the scholarship?
• Are my dates, titles, and formatting consistent?
• Have I checked spelling and grammar?
• Have I verified every achievement, number, qualification, and claim?
• Is the document easy to scan?
• Have I followed the required file format, page limit, and naming instructions?

A final check can prevent simple errors from undermining an otherwise strong application.

Final Thoughts

A strong scholarship CV does not need to make you look extraordinary. It needs to make your real preparation, achievements, experience, and potential easy to understand.

Focus on relevance rather than volume. Replace vague claims with evidence, tailor the document to the scholarship, and remove anything that does not help the reviewer understand your fit.

Your CV is one part of the application, not the entire application. It should provide a clear evidence base that complements your other materials rather than attempting to tell your entire story.

Official Scholarship & CV Resources

Before submitting your scholarship application, review the official guidance provided by recognised organisations. These resources offer reliable information on CV writing standards, scholarship applications, and academic opportunities.

• Europass CV — Useful if a scholarship specifically requests the Europass format.
• DAAD Scholarships — Offers application guidance for German scholarships.
• Chevening Scholarships — Explains official application expectations and timelines.

Always follow any CV instructions provided by the scholarship organisation. If their requirements differ from the general advice in this guide, the scholarship provider’s instructions should take priority.