How to List a College on a Resume When You Didn't Graduate

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is a Harvard University dropout.

In today's increasingly competitive job market, obtaining a college degree is practically imperative. But students who have yet to complete an undergraduate-level degree program can still be viable job candidates. By appropriately marketing their limited college experience, these job hunters can attract potential employers with their other relevant work experience, specialized educational background and initiative.

Instructions

1. Determine the most advantageous placement for the "Education" section on the resume. Position it at the top of the resume if you wish to emphasize academic experiences, a common practice for undergraduate students who have limited professional experience. Place the "Education" section towards the bottom of the resume if you have a lengthy work history or if you would like to downplay the fact that you have yet to receive a college degree.

2. Include the name of the college, major or type of degree and anticipated graduation date under the "Education" heading. Be sure to include the anticipated graduation year in parentheses and clearly denote that the date is "expected" in order to avoid confusion for potential employers. For those not currently enrolled, include the year you started and ended in parentheses instead.

3. Include any revelant specialized coursework, certificates or projects completed while matriculated at the college or university on the line following the anticipated graduation year. Emphasis academic honors if applicable and only include your grade point average if it is over 3.4 on a 4.0 scale. Use the "Education" section to also highlight any pertinent continuing education studies. Continue to follow the formatting style already established on the resume, and highlight all of this information using bullet points or by separating with commas or semicolons.

4. Use the aforementioned section to explain gaps in education history, if applicable. Keep the explanation concise and be truthful.

References

• Huffington Post; 10 Surprising Techie College Dropouts; Feb. 14, 2011
• The Work Buzz: 6 Things You Should Probably Remove From Your Resume
• For Dummies: Listing Education, Experience and Skills On Your Resume
• Resume Writing: How to Write a Masterpiece of a Resume