5 CV examples · UK · Updated October 2026
Student CV Examples and Templates (UK)
A strong UK student CV fits on one side of A4, opens with a short personal profile and proves reliability with what you have: part-time work, volunteering, school or university achievements and predicted grades. Employers hiring students want availability, attitude and evidence, not years of experience.
Student CV at a glance
- Best format
- Reverse chronological, one column, availability in the profile
- Length
- One side of A4; two for mature students
- Top skills
- Customer service, Teamwork, Time management, Microsoft 365
- Key qualifications
- GCSE (or National 5) English and Maths, A-levels, T Level, Highers or degree, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (any level)
5 student CV examples for 2026
Below are five student CV examples, from a sixth former with no paid experience to a mature student changing careers, plus copy-ready personal statements, skills, bullet points, a format table and answers to the questions students ask most. Each one is shown at true A4 size and comes with a free single-column Word template. Open any example to read it in full.
Swipe to see all 5 examples →
Kofi Mensah
Sixth Form Student, Available Saturdays and School Holidays
Reading · kofi.mensah@email.com · 07700 900184
Personal Profile
Year 13 student predicted ABB at A-level in Business, Geography and Maths, with a year of weekly volunteering at a community pantry and a Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Confident serving the public and working to a rota. Seeking Saturday and school-holiday work in retail or a café from November 2026.
Core Competencies
Serving the public · Stock rotation · Teamwork · Clear communication · Time management · Safe manual handling · Microsoft 365 and Canva · Reliability and punctuality
Employment History
Volunteer Pantry Assistant, Kennetside Community Pantry, Reading Sep 2025 – Present
- Welcome 40 to 60 members each Wednesday, explaining how the pantry works and helping newcomers use the points system.
- Unload weekly supermarket donations, check use-by dates and rotate stock so less food is wasted.
- Run the sign-in desk on a tablet, keeping a queue of up to 15 people moving calmly and politely.
- Chosen after six months to show two new volunteers how to rotate stock and lift boxes safely.
Work Experience Placement, Brightwell and Shaw Lettings, Reading Jul 2024
- Answered and logged calls for a five-person lettings team during a one-week Year 10 placement.
- Updated 30 property listings in a shared spreadsheet, checking room sizes against the template.
- Praised in written feedback from the branch manager for punctuality and a confident phone manner.
Volunteer Assistant Coach, Under-9s, Prospect Vale Youth FC, Reading Sep 2023 – Present
- Help run Sunday training for a squad of 14 children, setting out drills and keeping sessions safe.
- Keep parents updated on kit, kick-off times and venues through the team group chat each week.
- Built a nervous new player’s confidence with one-to-one passing practice after training; by spring he was playing every match.
Education & Qualifications
A-levels (exams June 2027): Business (predicted A), Geography (predicted B), Mathematics (predicted B)
Extended Project Qualification (in progress): Is fast fashion really cheaper for teenagers?
9 GCSEs grades 9-5 (2025), including English Language (7) and Maths (7)
Training & Certificates
Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene certificate (2026)
Achievements
- Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (2025), including a three-day, two-night expedition
- Sixth form open evening guide: showed visiting families round the school and answered questions
Why this example works
- Volunteering and coaching are written like jobs, with numbers, so a manager sees real customer contact and responsibility without any paid work.
- The availability line in the profile answers the first question every weekend retail and café manager asks.
- Predicted grades and GCSE English and Maths are clear, because first-job application forms often ask for them.
Niamh Docherty
English Literature Student, Part-Time Retail and Hospitality
Glasgow · niamh.docherty@email.com · 07700 900652
Profile
Third-year MA (Hons) English Literature student at the University of Glasgow with two years of part-time retail and café work. Confident on a till, recommending products and staying accurate at busy weekends. Seeking 12 to 16 hours a week in retail, plus extra hours at Christmas and in summer.
Employment History
Bookseller (Part-Time), Wyndford Lane Books, Glasgow Sep 2025 – Present
- Serve up to 150 customers on Saturdays, running the till, gift wrapping and special orders.
- Write staff-pick cards for fiction tables; three of the eight picks reached the shop’s top ten.
- Cash up at close, matching card and cash takings to the till report with no unexplained errors.
- Helped run four author events for up to 60 guests, from setting out seats and selling tickets to managing the signing queue.
- Reorganised the children’s section by age band before Christmas, so parents can browse quickly without asking staff for help.
Server (Part-Time), The Kelvinhaugh Kettle Café, Glasgow Oct 2024 – Aug 2025
- Served a 40-cover café at weekend brunch, taking orders on a handheld EPOS system and turning tables quickly at peak times.
- Logged every allergen request on the ticket and confirmed it with the kitchen before serving.
- Trained three new weekend staff on the coffee machine, table numbering and the closing checklist during their first shifts.
- Covered extra shifts over Christmas and Easter, up to 25 hours a week outside term time.
Education & Qualifications
MA (Hons) English Literature, University of Glasgow, 2024 – 2028: on track for a 2:1
Advanced Higher (2024): English (A); Highers (2023): English (A), History (A), Modern Studies (A), Spanish (B), Mathematics (B)
Key Skills
Till and card payments · Cashing up · Product recommendations · Stock replenishment · Visual merchandising · Table service · Allergen awareness · Complaint handling · Teamwork under pressure
Positions of Responsibility
- Events Officer, English Literature Society (2025 – 2026): booked venues, managed the events budget and ran a 70-guest welcome ceilidh
- Class representative for second-year English Literature, gathering student feedback for termly staff-student meetings
Why this example works
- Hours wanted and holiday availability sit in the profile, which is what a manager building a student rota needs to see.
- Each job shows measurable results, such as top-ten picks, accurate cash-ups and events, instead of a list of duties.
- Scottish Highers are listed by subject and grade, so employers anywhere in the UK can read them quickly.
Zara Malik
Mechanical Engineering Student, Seeking a 2027-28 Industrial Placement
Loughborough · zara.malik@email.com · 07700 900327 · linkedin.com/in/zaramalik
Skills & Tools
Personal Profile
Second-year BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering student at Loughborough University with a Year 1 average of 68% and a first-class mark in Engineering Design. Helps design suspension parts for the university’s Formula Student team and spent summer 2026 on a precision machining shop floor. Seeking a 12-month placement in design, manufacturing or test engineering from summer 2027.
Employment History
Summer Engineering Assistant, Soarvale Precision Engineering, Loughborough Jul 2026 – Sep 2026
- Measured first-off machined parts with micrometers and a height gauge for the quality engineer.
- Redrew 25 legacy paper drawings as SolidWorks models to BS 8888, clearing a pre-audit backlog.
- Designed a 3D-printed drilling fixture for a bracket job, cutting set-up from 12 minutes to 5 and removing manual marking out.
- Joined a 5 Whys review of a recurring burr defect and drafted the new deburring work instruction.
Customer Advisor (Part-Time), Charnwood Home and Hardware, Loughborough Nov 2025 – Present
- Advise trade and DIY customers on fixings, adhesives and power tools for 10 hours a week.
- Cut keys and mix paint to order, checking each colour code against the customer’s reference.
- Reorganised the fixings aisle by type and thread size so customers can find items unaided.
Suspension Designer, University Formula Student Team, Loughborough Oct 2025 – Present
- Co-designed the rear upright in SolidWorks with the suspension lead and verified it in ANSYS, saving 140 g at the team’s target safety factor.
- Produced drawings for six suspension parts and agreed tolerances and lead times with the workshop.
- Co-presented the upright at the team’s design review, explaining the switch from steel to 7075 aluminium.
Education & Qualifications
BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering with placement year, Loughborough University, 2025 – 2029
A-levels (2025): Mathematics (A*), Further Mathematics (A), Physics (A)
10 GCSEs grades 9-6, including English Language (7) and Maths (9)
Certificates and Memberships
- Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA), 2026
- Affiliate member, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
Why this example works
- Formula Student work is set out like a job with design results, which is what placement recruiters look for in second-year applicants.
- It names the CAD, analysis and drawing standards used in industry, matching the keywords placement application systems scan for.
- The part-time hardware job still earns its place, showing reliability and customer contact alongside the technical work.
Why this example works
- It states the Student visa work conditions in one plain line, so an employer does not have to guess about hours.
- Overseas internship results are written with numbers and UK spelling, showing they transfer straight to a UK marketing team.
- The CBSE Class XII result appears in one short line with key subject scores, so UK recruiters can read it easily.
Applying through an online portal? Use the Word download: it is the same CV in a single-column, ATS-safe layout. Keep this two-column design for emailing and networking.
Tomasz Wilczek
Computer Science Student and Former Assistant Store Manager
Sheffield · tomasz.wilczek@email.com · 07700 900561 · linkedin.com/in/tomaszwilczek
Profile
Mature second-year BSc (Hons) Computer Science student at Sheffield Hallam University, back in education through an Access to HE Diploma after ten years in retail, the last five as an assistant store manager. Brings people management, stock control and calm problem-solving under pressure. Now supports community IT users, scripts in Python and holds CompTIA A+. Seeking a part-time IT support or service desk role in term time, with full-time summer availability.
Employment History
Volunteer IT Support Assistant, Sheaf Valley Digital Inclusion Project, Sheffield Jan 2025 – Present
- Run a weekly drop-in helping 10 to 15 older residents with laptops, phones, email, NHS App sign-up and safe online banking.
- Log every request in a shared ticket tracker, prioritising scam worries and locked accounts so urgent issues are handled first.
- Wiped, updated and reimaged 45 donated laptops with Windows 11 for loan to local families, following a data-erasure checklist.
- Wrote five plain-English how-to guides, including one on spotting phishing texts, now handed out at every session.
- Automated overdue-loan reminders with a short Python script that reads the laptop spreadsheet and emails the coordinator.
Weekend Supervisor (Part-Time), Brindlecroft Home and DIY, Rotherham Sep 2024 – Present
- Supervise a team of six on Saturday and Sunday shifts, covering tills, the trade counter and click-and-collect orders.
- Resolve escalated complaints and refunds within the supervisor limit, settling issues at the counter instead of calling the duty manager.
- Act as the store’s first contact for handheld scanner and label printer faults, fixing most without raising a helpdesk ticket.
- Reconcile weekend takings and complete the safe check before handing over to Monday’s manager.
- Train new weekend starters on the till, Challenge 25 checks for age-restricted products and safe use of the timber-cutting service.
Assistant Store Manager, Brindlecroft Home and DIY, Rotherham Mar 2019 – Aug 2024
- Deputised for the store manager in a 38-person store, running it alone on days off and while covering two six-week absences.
- Cut stock loss from 2.1% to 1.4% of sales in two years by introducing weekly high-risk counts and stricter delivery checks.
- Led the store’s switch to new handheld stock devices, training 30 colleagues and writing a quick-start guide later shared with other stores.
- Coached three team members to supervisor level and ran monthly health and safety walkarounds with no RIDDOR-reportable incidents.
Store Supervisor, Brindlecroft Home and DIY, Rotherham Jun 2016 – Feb 2019
- Ran the garden department through peak season, ordering plants and seasonal lines against weekly sales trends.
- Supervised up to eight staff a shift and opened and closed the store, including alarms and the cash office.
- Raised the department’s mystery shopper score from 78% to 92% in a year through daily huddles, greeting standards and product knowledge sessions.
Sales Assistant, Peakline Sports, Sheffield Sep 2014 – May 2016
- Advised customers on running shoes and outdoor kit, using gait video to recommend the right fit and support.
- Promoted to key holder within a year for reliability and accurate cash handling, opening the store on Sunday mornings.
Education & Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Computer Science, Sheffield Hallam University, 2025 – 2028: Year 1 average 71%
Access to HE Diploma (Computing), 2025: Distinction in all 45 graded credits
9 GCSEs grades A*-C, including English and Maths, 2008
Training & Certificates
CompTIA A+ (Core 1 and Core 2), 2025 · Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW), renewed 2026
Key Skills
Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 support · Account set-up and password resets · Hardware troubleshooting and reimaging · Networking basics (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP) · Python scripting · SQL queries · Ticket logging and prioritisation · Writing user guides · Team leadership and rotas · Stock control and ordering · Coaching and training staff · Complaint resolution
Technical
Windows 11 · Microsoft 365 · Python · SQL · Linux command line · Git and GitHub · Cisco Packet Tracer
Earlier Experience
- Warehouse picker and agency production roles, Sheffield, 2008 – 2014: order picking, packing and weekly stock counts
University and Personal Projects
- Year 1 group project: built a Flask web app for booking society rooms with three classmates, writing the SQL database layer and managing tasks in GitHub over weekly sprints
- Home lab: set up a Raspberry Pi as a network ad blocker on a spare router, then wrote it up as a step-by-step guide for drop-in volunteers
Languages
- Bilingual in English and Polish
Why this example works
- Ten years of retail experience, eight in supervisory and management roles, are rewritten as evidence of leadership, problem-solving and system roll-outs IT employers value.
- Two pages are justified: a mature student’s work history is substantial, and every role still supports the target job.
- The current degree and Access to HE Diploma lead the education section, showing a deliberate, successful return to study.
Student personal profile examples
Copy the personal profile that matches your level, then swap in your own experience, settings and results.
Reliable Year 12 student studying A-levels in Biology, Chemistry and Psychology, with a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and two years helping at a weekly youth club. Calm with younger children and confident speaking to adults. Looking for a part-time role in a café or shop, available Saturdays and throughout the school holidays.
Organised T Level Digital Production, Design and Development student completing an industry placement with a small web agency, testing pages, fixing layout bugs and updating client sites. Quick to learn new software and comfortable working to deadlines. Seeking weekend or summer work in IT support, technology retail or customer service.
Second-year BA (Hons) Geography student at the University of Leeds with a year of part-time bar and retail work alongside full-time study. Quick on a till, comfortable cashing up and steady during Friday and Saturday rushes. Looking for 12 to 16 hours a week in hospitality or retail, with full availability over the summer.
Second-year BSc (Hons) Economics student at the University of Nottingham, averaging 67% with a first in Econometrics. Builds forecasting models in Excel and Python, leads a 12-person research team in the investment society and has worked 15 hours a week throughout university. Seeking a 12-month placement or summer internship in finance, consulting or data analysis.
Mature first-year BSc (Hons) Psychology student who returned to education through an Access to HE Diploma after eight years in hospitality management. Experienced in leading teams of 20, handling complaints and managing weekly budgets. Seeking flexible part-time work in administration or customer service that fits around lectures and placement days.
Best skills for a student CV
List the skills the job advert and person specification name, in the same wording, and prove the important ones in your employment history.
Hard skills
- Customer service
- Cash handling and till operation
- Stock rotation and replenishment
- Food hygiene and allergen awareness
- Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Data entry and spreadsheets
- Research and report writing
- Presenting to groups
- Social media content
- Cashing up and basic bookkeeping
- Telephone and email etiquette
- Event organisation
Soft skills
- Reliability and punctuality
- Teamwork
- Clear communication
- Time management
- Adaptability
- Problem-solving
- Resilience under pressure
- Willingness to learn
Systems and equipment
- EPOS tills and card terminals
- Microsoft Excel
- Google Workspace
- Canva
- Handheld stock scanners
- Microsoft Teams and Zoom
- University learning platforms (Moodle, Canvas)
Qualifications and training
- Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (Bronze, Silver or Gold)
- Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
- Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene certificate
- Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW)
- Access to HE Diploma (mature students)
- Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
Student CV bullet point examples
Strong bullets pair an action verb with a specific task and a measurable result. Adapt these to your own numbers.
Retail and customer service
- Served up to 120 customers on Saturday shifts at a garden centre till, balancing the float to the penny at close.
- Restocked the chilled aisle twice a shift using first in, first out rotation, cutting the amount of out-of-date stock thrown away.
- Applied Challenge 25 on every age-restricted sale and refused politely when customers could not show valid ID.
Hospitality and food service
- Carried plates and cleared tables for a 90-cover Sunday carvery, keeping an assigned section reset within the manager’s target.
- Checked allergen information with the kitchen for every dietary request, using the menu matrix to answer questions accurately.
- Took and logged telephone bookings for a 60-seat restaurant, cutting double bookings by confirming each one by text.
Volunteering, school and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
- Raised £640 for a local hospice by organising a sixth form quiz night for 85 guests with three friends.
- Completed a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, including a two-day expedition and three months volunteering at a library.
- Mentored four Year 7 students in reading once a week as part of the school’s peer reading scheme.
University, societies and placements
- Elected treasurer of a 200-member student society, managing the budget, receipts and the annual return to the students’ union.
- Led a four-person group project on local bus use, presenting findings to a council officer and earning a first.
- Worked 15 hours a week throughout second year while keeping a 2:1 average, balancing shifts around lectures and deadlines.
Action verbs for a student CV
Start each bullet with a precise verb instead of “responsible for”.
- Organised
- Prioritised
- Coordinated
- Served
- Welcomed
- Resolved
- Restocked
- Volunteered
- Supported
- Led
- Trained
- Mentored
- Researched
- Analysed
- Presented
- Designed
- Built
- Tested
- Improved
- Reduced
- Raised
- Achieved
- Balanced
- Represented
- Promoted
- Completed
- Created
- Delivered
Find more by category with the free action verb finder.
Best CV format for a student
Use a reverse-chronological CV on one side of A4: personal profile, key skills, experience, then education. With little paid work, count volunteering and work experience as experience and give predicted grades in your profile. Mature students with long careers can use two pages. Keep one column for ATS software.
| Your situation | Format | Length | Lead with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sixth form or school leaver, no paid work | Reverse chronological; volunteering counts as experience | 1 page | Availability, predicted grades, DofE Award, volunteering |
| T Level student | Reverse chronological with the industry placement as experience | 1 page | T Level route, placement employer, practical skills |
| University student, part-time job | Reverse chronological | 1 page | Hours wanted, till and customer experience, degree |
| Placement year or summer internship | Reverse chronological; student projects listed as experience | 1 page | Degree, module marks, technical skills, projects |
| International student | Reverse chronological, UK conventions | 1 page | UK and overseas experience, plus a right to work line |
| Mature student | Reverse chronological, earlier career rewritten for the new field | 2 pages | Current degree, Access to HE Diploma, transferable leadership |
Every example above follows these rules, on A4 and without a photo, date of birth or full address.
How to write a student CV that gets interviews
A student CV gets interviews when it answers three questions fast: when can you work, can you be trusted, and can you deal with people? Put your availability and target role in the personal profile, then prove reliability with dated, specific examples.
Write every entry, paid or unpaid, as achievements rather than duties. ‘Served up to 120 customers on Saturdays’ tells a manager far more than ‘responsible for customer service‘. Numbers, settings and results make a short history look substantial.
Match the advert. If a supermarket asks for flexibility and teamwork, use those exact words in your key skills and prove them in a bullet. Large retailers, hospitality chains and graduate employers often screen applications online before a person reads them.
Student CV with no experience: what to put instead
A student CV with no paid experience should lead with transferable evidence: volunteering, work experience placements, sports coaching, school roles, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or helping in a family business. Treat each one like a job, with a title, organisation, dates and two or three results.
Then make your education work harder. Give predicted grades, GCSE (or National 5) English and Maths results, an Extended Project Qualification title or your T Level industry placement. Employers filling a first job mainly want proof that you turn up, learn quickly and are polite with customers.
- Volunteering at a food bank, charity shop or youth club
- Year 10 or Year 12 work experience placements
- Coaching, refereeing or helping at a sports club
- Prefect, school council, house captain or peer mentor roles
- Duke of Edinburgh’s Award sections and expeditions
- Babysitting, pet sitting or helping in a family business
Personal statement for a student CV (and how it differs from UCAS)
A personal statement on a student CV is the same thing as a personal profile: three to five lines at the top saying who you are, what you offer and what job you want. Write it last and adjust it for every application.
It is not your UCAS personal statement. From 2026 entry, UCAS replaced the free-form essay with three questions about why you chose the course, how your studies prepared you and what you have done outside education. A CV profile is far shorter and written for an employer.
Use a simple formula: your stage of study, one or two strengths with evidence, then your availability or target role. For example: ‘Year 13 student predicted ABB, with a year of weekly volunteering, seeking Saturday work in retail.’
Keywords to include on a student CV
Use the words employers search for. Many large UK retailers, hospitality groups and graduate recruiters use applicant tracking systems that compare your CV with the advert, so mirror its exact wording for skills, availability and qualifications.
- Availability: weekends, evenings, school holidays, term time
- Customer service, till operation, cash handling
- Teamwork, communication, time management, reliability
- Stock replenishment, merchandising, food hygiene
- Microsoft 365, Excel, data entry
- Predicted grades, GCSE or National 5 English and Maths, A-levels, T Level, Highers
- Placement year, internship, year in industry
CV tips for international and mature students
International students should add one plain line on right to work. On a Student visa at degree level you can usually work up to 20 hours a week in term time and full time outside term time; below degree level the limit is 10 hours.
Check your own visa conditions before applying: Student visa holders cannot be self-employed or fill a permanent full-time vacancy. Explain overseas qualifications in one line, for example ‘CBSE Class XII (2025): 94% overall’.
Mature students can use two pages. Keep your earlier career but rewrite it to show the skills your new field needs, put your current course and any Access to HE Diploma first in education, and explain any career break in one honest line.
What to include and leave off a UK student CV
| ✓ Include | ✗ Avoid |
|---|---|
| Availability: days, hours a week and holiday dates | A photo, date of birth, age or nationality |
| A personal profile naming your stage of study and target job | Your full home address (town or city is enough) |
| Predicted or achieved grades, with GCSE or National 5 English and Maths | Your National Insurance number |
| Volunteering, work experience and school or society roles | Referees’ names and contact details |
| Numbers: customers served, money raised, hours worked | Every GCSE listed one by one with grades |
| A right to work line if you are on a Student visa | Hobbies with no link to the job, such as ‘socialising’ |
| Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, EPQ or T Level placement | Jokey email addresses or unexplained gaps in dates |
| A professional email address and mobile number | Inflated grades or skills you cannot back up at interview |
How to write a student CV
- Choose the job and read the advert. Pick one target, such as Saturday retail work, a summer internship or a placement year. Highlight the skills, hours and qualifications the advert names, because your CV should echo that wording and answer those needs directly.
- Write a short personal profile. State your year and course, one or two strengths backed by evidence, and the role and hours you want. Keep it to three to five lines, about 40 to 70 words, and rewrite the last line for each application.
- List experience, paid or unpaid. Add part-time jobs, volunteering, work experience, coaching and society roles, newest first. Give each a title, organisation, town and dates, then two to four bullets that start with an action verb and include a number.
- Add education and qualifications. Show your current course first with predicted or achieved grades, then A-levels, T Levels or Highers, then one line summarising GCSEs (or National 5s in Scotland) that names English and Maths. Add an EPQ, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or Access to HE Diploma if you have one.
- Add skills that match the job. List eight to ten key skills taken from the advert, mixing practical skills such as till operation or Excel with personal strengths such as teamwork. Make sure your bullets prove the most important ones.
- Check, save and send. Keep it to one side of A4 unless you are a mature student, proofread for UK spelling, save it as a PDF or Word file named with your full name, and send it with a short covering letter or email.
Covering letter tip for a student
Keep a student covering letter to three short paragraphs: the role and where you saw it, two pieces of evidence that you are reliable and good with people, and your exact availability, such as ‘Saturdays and all school holidays’. For placements and internships, name one module or project that matches the team’s work.
Start from our cover letter templates or draft one in seconds with the cover letter generator.
By uploading my CV, I agree to the
