Academic CV for grad-school applications
What to put on an academic CV for master's, PhD, or grad-school applications when you don't have many publications yet — and how to make a strong impression on an admissions committee.
If you're applying to a master's or PhD programme and worried your CV looks thin, that's completely normal — admissions committees don't expect a long publication list at this stage. They want evidence of potential: research experience, relevant skills, and a clear trajectory. Here's what to include and how to present it.
What to include
- Education — degrees, institutions, dates, and your GPA or grade if it's strong; include your thesis or capstone title.
- Research experience — labs, projects, and theses, with your role, methods, and outcomes.
- Publications & presentations — any articles, preprints, posters, or conference talks, however early-stage.
- Skills — laboratory, technical, statistical, programming, and languages relevant to the field.
- Awards & scholarships — academic distinctions and funding.
- Relevant experience — teaching, tutoring, relevant work, or volunteering.
- References — or a note that they are available on request.
Lead with research experience
Even without publications, research experience is your strongest card. For each project, say what the question was, what you did (techniques, analysis, your specific role), and what came of it. Concrete contributions read far better than a list of course names.
Length and format
A grad-school application CV is usually 2–4 pages. Keep the formatting clean and consistent, use clear section headings, and tailor the emphasis to the programme you're applying to. It's fine to be short — don't pad.
Build it from your record
SigmaCV assembles a clean academic CV from your ORCID and open data, so even your first publications, preprints, and posters are formatted correctly and consistently — and you can add anything by DOI. It's free and open source.
Build your grad-school CV free
Frequently asked questions
Do I need publications for a grad-school CV?
No. At the application stage, research experience, relevant skills, and a clear trajectory matter more than a publication list. Include any preprints or posters you do have, but their absence is expected.
How long should a grad-school application CV be?
Typically 2–4 pages. Keep it focused: clear research experience and a few representative items beat padding.