How to Put Unfinished College Degree on Resume [Examples] (2024)

FAQs

How to Put Unfinished College Degree on Resume [Examples]? ›

You don't really want to include your college degree program and then write “incomplete” at the end. That doesn't exactly look wonderful. Simply note down the school you attended (name, dates you attended, and amount of credit hours you finished). Skip the GPA if below 3.5.

You can still include your degree on your resume if you haven't graduated yet — in fact, if you're applying for jobs in a related field, you definitely should. You should put your education section at the top of your resume, since that's likely to be your most relevant experience, and list an expected graduation date.

For a straightforward approach, you could simply write the name of your degree and then your expected graduation date in parenthesis. For example, a psychology student may write "Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Expected May 2027)."

To list an educational experience on your resume, you do not need to have earned a degree from the institution. As long as you're honest and not misrepresenting any information, you should still include your education to help build your credibility – even if you only took a few courses.

Why do employers check education on your resume? Many just want to be sure you are who you say you are—they're confirming what school you went to, whether you earned a degree, and the dates you attended. Some will need to check your education for legal reasons.

If you haven't completed an entire program or degree, it's still essential to include any finished coursework on your resume. You can enhance your education with other professional development training or certificates you've achieved.

Make your reason short and honest. For example, “I never went back to finish my degree and that's something I regret. I'm planning to re-enroll in a few online classes to finish it over time.” There—you've addressed it and there's not much more an employer can ask.

Graduation Pending simply refers to the decision made collectively by your academic department and the Graduation department that you are eligible to graduate.

There are typically two different situations that a job seeker with an incomplete degree can be in. Either you didn't finish your degree and don't plan to, or you're currently completing it.

For example, you might say you completed a certification course instead of a getting degree because it was more financially responsible or it aligned more with your career goals. You might explain that you took a professional opportunity out of high school and found the practical experience to be more beneficial.

Should you put GPA on resume if you haven't graduated yet? ›

“Always include your GPA if you're early career.” “Early career” means you're looking for your first professional role and are usually less than three years out of school. “You do not need to include your GPA or graduation date once you've been in the workforce for over 3-5 years,” Warzel says.

Simply italicize a sentence underneath your bolded “Completed…” statement that says, “Offered a promotion and relocated with [insert employer's name] during senior year.” This will ensure the hiring manager knows that you not only possess the majority of undergraduate coursework most would with a degree, but also that ...

If you are addressing an incomplete degree, talk about the coursework you've completed and the number of credits you earned rather than focusing on what you couldn't complete. While it is important to keep your explanation short, you must have a finish line so you don't trail off into an awkward silence.

List your unfinished degree on your resume the same as you would if you were still attending college. Just remember, it's important to be upfront with your potential employers about resuming your studies. An employer won't be thrilled if they hire you for a full-time position only to have you leave 6 months later.

Only 53% of employers always check job candidates' education credentials. Slightly more than half of the employers surveyed, 53%, always verify the education credentials listed on a job applicant's resume. Among the rest, 24% sometimes check applicants' education records, while 23% never do.

And remember those critical skills employers are looking for? Having a degree demonstrates that you have those. Many employers are even willing to leave a job unfilled longer so they can fill it with the right degree-qualified candidate. Your future employer cares about your degree, and so should you!

List all your degrees in the education section of your resume. Put your degrees on a resume in the reverse-chronological order. Consider adding extra information about your degree on a resume (e.g. GPA, Latin honors, coursework, etc.). Format the information on your degree on a resume consistently.

Generally, experts recommend keeping about 10-15 years of work experience on your resume, but that guidance changes depending on your professional history. Your resume is one of the first things a potential employer sees about you.

If your grade point average (GPA) was around 3.5 or higher, consider including it on your resume. If 10 or more years have passed since you graduated, it's best to leave it off, even if you excelled.

When should you remove education from resume? ›

In fact, there's no rule that says you have to include the year you earned your degree at all, but the longest you'd want to keep that information is about 10 to 15 years, tops. Similar to your work history, anything that happened more than a decade ago probably won't be very relevant to what you're capable of today.

Furthermore, 14% no longer finish college (ThinkImpact, 2021). 10% of students drop out of four-year programs and 35% of students drop out of two-year programs (EDI, 2021).

College dropout rates indicate that up to 32.9% of undergraduates do not complete their degree program. First-time undergraduate freshmen have a 12-month dropout rate of 24.1%. Among first-time bachelor's degree seekers, 25.7% ultimately drop out; among all undergraduate students, up to ^40% drop out.

Complete & Replace an Incomplete Grade

An Incomplete or I grade is meant to act as a placeholder grade. Once you finish your missing work, the instructor can assign you a final grade, which replaces the I grade in your record. Your grade will match the grading option you chose in the semester you started the course.

Grades are scheduled to be posted 3-5 weeks after the last final exam. Degrees are usually posted 4-6 weeks after grades are posted.

Article Content. Grades or degrees may not appear on the most recent transcript ordered if: The current term has not ended/grades have not been recorded. The degree has not been conferred and is still in approval process.

Once an Incomplete (I) grade is assigned, it remains on the transcript along with the passing grade a student may later receive for the course. An instructor may assign the I grade when work is of passing quality but is incomplete for a good cause (such as illness or other serious problem).

In contrast to a withdrawal (or a failing grade), incompletes can be changed on your transcript once the required coursework is completed. You will usually be given a certain amount of time to finish the course requirements, at which point you will receive a grade just as if you'd never stopped and restarted the class.

The completion of all incomplete work required for the degree prior to the degree date of that term. A grade of Incomplete in a required course at the time of degree posting renders the student ineligible for that degree date.

What is it called when you haven't graduated yet? ›

Undergraduates are students of universities and colleges: they've graduated from high school and have been accepted to college, but they haven't graduated yet.

In your cover letter, avoid focusing on your lack of a degree. Sentences like, “I know I don't have a bachelor's degree, but…” only highlight your lack of a degree. Instead, focus on the skills that you do have, and explain how your job experiences make you a strong fit for the job.

In contrast, to have no college degree usually means students have either completed part of a high school diploma program or earned their high school diploma or GED. They may also have professional certifications or training in a certain field, but they don't hold a college degree.

Well, for one, career experts agree: There is no rule that you have to put your graduation year on your resume. While removing the year can be a smart move to deflect attention from your exact age, career experts suggest that you focus on your experience instead of worrying about your age.

Is it acceptable to include unfinished degrees on a resume? ZipJob's career experts agree that education in progress should usually be included on a resume. A degree in progress is still important to employers, as well as a degree that was started and holds relevance to a position.

Once you've been in the workforce for a few years, your work experience becomes more important than your GPA. After two or three years of full-time work, it will no longer be necessary to include your GPA on a resume, unless you are working in career fields like education and research.

When to include your GPA. While there's no clear-cut rule that dictates when to include your GPA, most career experts say to only keep it on a resume if it's over 3.5.

As you move through your career, the rule of thumb is to include only the most recent 10 to 15 years of job experience. This article will guide you through exactly how far back your resume should reach.

Simply italicize a sentence underneath your bolded “Completed…” statement that says, “Offered a promotion and relocated with [insert employer's name] during senior year.” This will ensure the hiring manager knows that you not only possess the majority of undergraduate coursework most would with a degree, but also that ...

Lying on a resume, cover letter, or job application isn't technically illegal. These forms aren't legal documents, so usually you can't get prosecuted for lying on them. However, if you falsify documents that “back up” claims of educational history, for example, that could be grounds for trouble with the law.