Are you wondering where to put your secondary or college GPA on your resume or whether to include it at all?
Sometimes it isn’t clear if it belongs with your other educational achievements. In the worst case, a reader may see it as unnecessary, frivolous, or even childish. Fortunately, there are clear rules to follow regarding putting your GPA on a resume.
Let’s look at where to put your GPA on your resume and whether you should. You’ll learn all the intricacies and considerations necessary for a professional-grade document.
Do You Need To Put Your GPA on Your Resume?
There is no mandatory reason you must put your GPA on your resume, but it may benefit certain applicants.
If you aren’t satisfied with your performance in school, feel free to remove it. No employers will ask you about it as long as you have the degree and education present on the document.
Otherwise, if you are proud of your GPA, you should display it on your resume if your education is recent enough. However, there are other parameters like relevancy to consider.
Note that early job applicants who are recent high school graduates should usually include their GPAs. Recent graduates often lack other types of experience and skills, so a GPA can vouch for their ability to learn and cooperate with others.
If you are applying for a college or university that requires a resume, you should list your high school GPA. However, job applications rarely ask for it.
Why Should You Include Your GPA on Your Resume?
Your GPA does not typically affect your chances of getting a job, but it does show your devotion to your studies during your time in school.
That, in turn, represents your research capabilities, teamwork, instruction following, and more. As a result, a relevant GPA can impress potential employers and show proof of your skills in a high-pressure environment.
A high GPA earns even more merit, especially from a reputable college. When applying to a relevant profession like teaching or academic advising, it helps to show your aptitude.
Finally, if you’re new to the job field, a GPA helps to bolster your resume. Think of it as a badge you can wear if you recently graduated or lack professional experience. If you have plenty of work experience, however, it means less and might even be unnecessary.
When To Include Your GPA on Your Resume
Let’s look at the four main circumstances that require a GPA on your resume. Typically, it depends on how recent your education was and whether you have work experience.
In High School
If you are looking for work during high school or recently graduated, include your GPA on your resume.
The primary reason is that high-school-age applicants often don’t have the experience to bolster a resume. A GPA works as a placeholder that shows the owner’s commitment to school, suggesting their ability for part-time work.
Additionally, when high school graduates apply to colleges or universities, they must list their GPA. Colleges want to see the grades, involvement, and awards of candidates before considering them for scholarships. A GPA above 3.5 is pleasing to colleges.
However, note that even if you don’t list your GPA on your resume when applying for college, the recipient will still know how you performed in school. High schools often send your transcript to interested universities, displaying your cumulative grades across all four years.
In College
While you are still a student, GPA matters. As a university student, displaying your GPA could open opportunities for honors courses, internships, and more. Since college is more challenging than high school, your undergraduate or postgraduate GPA carries more weight.
Listing a GPA shows potential employers that you are a student or recent graduate. Doing so tempers their expectations and makes up for having little job experience.
Since some universities restrict how many hours per week you can work along with classes, potential employers need to know if you are still enrolled.
Many scholarships and awards require resumes and applications. Most universities offer awards only to people with GPAs above a certain threshold. List yours on your resume to qualify.
Up to Three Years After School
Entering the workforce after high school or college can take time. There is no definitive deadline by which you must remove your GPA from your resume, but typically applicants only leave it on for three years after graduating.
After three years, most people have enough relevant experience to substitute for academic achievements on their resumes. The longer since graduation, the less relevant your GPA figure becomes.
Remember that you can attach a college transcript if your employer asks. That way, you can devote your resume to more relevant experience.
When You Have Little Experience
If you don’t have relevant work experience, your educational achievements can supplement your resume. An applicant may list their GPA if they haven’t had full-time work since graduating.
They may also leave it on if their schooling is more relevant to the job opportunity than their experience.
For example, imagine you worked part-time as a fry cook and went to school for veterinary science. You may want to include the latter rather than the former when applying for a biology position. If you do, your GPA might mean more than your work experience.
When Not To Include Your GPA on Your Resume
There are two conditions where you should think twice before including your GPA on your resume. These are if you’ve been out of school for over three years or if the figure is below 3.5.
It’s Been More Than Three Years
Unless you have little work experience, there’s no need to include your high school or college GPA over three years after graduation.
By that point, most applicants have entry-level experience far more relevant than their school performance. This is true for most career fields, but your GPA may be critical for technical or education opportunities.
When Your GPA is Below 3.5
If your GPA isn’t at least 3.5 or cum laude, it doesn’t bear the same weight as other academic awards. Note that score ranges for graduating with honors vary by school and program. However, 3.5 is the lowest end of the range for most universities.
It’s critical to be honest if an interviewer or employer asks, but applicants typically don’t display lower-end GPAs. Getting through college alone is a fantastic achievement, but you can attach a transcript if your application requires it.
Lower GPAs don’t always impact hiring choices, but most applicants don’t want to take that risk. Only display yours if you think it is high enough to function as an academic award or if it distinguishes you from other potential candidates.
Where To Put GPA on Your Resume
If you include your GPA, it belongs in the education section of your resume. If you’re applying for a college or postgraduate institution, that rests at the top of the document. For job applications, your education section should sit about halfway down the resume.
How To Include GPA on Your Resume
The two most common ways to include your GPA are to place it beside or below your school’s name. If you put the value beside the text, separate it with brackets or a divider. You can also format your GPA in bold or italics.
Otherwise, include it as a bullet point underneath your school’s name.
Universities often distinguish between major, minor, and cumulative GPAs. Which ones you list is up to you, but most reviewers are only interested in your combined grade point average.
Wrapping Up
Now you understand where to put a GPA on your resume. It isn’t necessary unless you’re a recent student, but an impressive score shows your aptitude for research, teamwork, and more.
If you are applying for scholarships, list it for the best chances of earning one. However, if you haven’t been in school for over three years, there’s no need to show your GPA.
Please feel free to comment below if you have any questions. A proper resume is the first step to securing job opportunities.
