It is essential to learn how to put that you made the Dean’s List on your resume because it’s one of the most significant accomplishments you can achieve in college.
Similar to other academic awards, mentioning that you made the Dean’s List in your resume, especially as a recent graduate, shows potential employers that you’re committed to learning and staying disciplined, which increases your chances of getting hired.
Adding that you made the Dean’s List during your college career to your resume and your LinkedIn profile is relatively straightforward, but there are some things to be aware of so you don’t come off as overly boastful. Further, there are also some instances when you shouldn’t put that you made the list in your resume, primarily when you have significant work experience.
How do you put Dean’s List on your resume?
Put Dean’s List on your resume under the education section, followed by college name, major, grade point average, and the years you made the list.
Here’s one example of how you can add Dean’s List to your resume:
EDUCATION
PURDUE UNIVERSITY (Expected Graduation 2023)
Bachelor of Science, Building Construction Management (Dean’s List 2021, 2022)
At MatchBuilt, we’ve helped thousands of college students and job seekers fine-tune their resumes to get noticed by recruiters and hiring managers. In this post, we’ll provide resume examples and answer some of the most common questions about how to put Dean’s List on your resume, where to put it, its pros and cons, and when you should and shouldn’t include the list.
If you’re an eligible student or graduate with a strong academic background and earned the Dean’s list award with a high GPA or other impressive accomplishments, we highly recommend the tips below to get an edge during the hiring process.
What Is the Dean’s List?
The Dean’s List is an academic award earned by college or university students who demonstrate impressive academic excellence. To qualify for the list, students must meet specific requirements that differ per university.
The Dean’s List is a significant accomplishment released every semester or quarter after posting final grades. However, some institutions give the award annually after combining the students’ GPAs for the entire year.
The Dean’s List is a very exclusive academic distinction that’s highly sought after, and only 1-5% of the top undergraduate students make it. It opens doors for not only advanced education programs but also employment opportunities.
How Making the Dean’s List Benefits You
The benefits of being on the Dean’s List include:
A Feeling of Personal Achievement
Being on the Dean’s List offers a strong sense of personal achievement. You feel good about yourself after being committed to your studies and becoming one of the top students in your university. It also makes you feel that your efforts didn’t go to waste and that someone recognizes and appreciates them.
Improved Job Prospects
After you complete your studies and begin searching for a job, indicating that you were on the Dean’s List may give you an advantage over other job applicants and improve your job prospects. Being on the list can prove that you’re hardworking and committed, making employers want to hire you.
Access to Top Employers
Many companies hold recruitment events at colleges and universities and request the Dean’s office invite students who made their Dean’s List. These companies usually search for the top percentile of students interested in working in their respective industries. Opportunities like this allow the top students to network with some of the world’s best companies to work.
Invitation to Special Events
Making the Dean’s List can help students get invited to special events, such as networking events with top company executives. They may also get invited to company-sponsored competitions with students from other colleges.
Scholarship Opportunities
If you made the Dean’s List in your undergraduate program, getting a scholarship to advance your studies can be more accessible. Additionally, if the alums of the institution you studied from want to offer students opportunities to advance their education, they may select those on the Dean’s List.
Importance of Putting Dean’s List on a Resume
Putting Dean’s List on a resume demonstrates that you are a hardworking person who can accomplish great things. Employers want to hire people who will be dedicated to their jobs and achieve impressive results.
Showing that you made the Dean’s List shows them that you can do so, regardless of which job you’re applying for. It also adds more details to your resume, especially when you don’t have much experience.
That’s why we advise job seekers to write their resumes and include that they were on the Dean’s List.
How to Put the Dean’s List on Your Resume
Putting Dean’s List on your resume is an integral part of making your resume stand out to recruiters and hiring managers, but there are a few nuances to consider. In fact, putting Dean’s List in the wrong place can make it look out of place and lose its relevance.
Here are some tips on how to put the Dean’s List on your resume.
1. When To Put Dean’s List on Your Resume
You must determine whether to put Dean’s List on your resume since it’s not always appropriate. The following notes can also help you decide whether to add the accomplishment to your LinkedIn profile.
Include it if:
You Made the List Consistently
Include the Dean’s List on your resume if you’ve been included in it consistently, as making the list for several semesters shows you have a strong work ethic.
You Attended a Prestigious School
If you attended a prestigious university or college, don’t hesitate to state that you made the Dean’s List in your curriculum vitae.
Prestigious academic institutions are known to have rigid requirements on who makes their list, and the fact that you made it reaffirms to potential employers your high levels of academic excellence.
The GPA Required To Make the List Is Very High
If the GPA of the institution you attended is typically very high, it’s advisable to put the Dean’s List on your resume to reaffirm your discipline and work ethic.
The Hiring Company May be Using a Resume Scanner
If the job you’re applying to online seems to be a job where 100s or 1000s of candidates will apply, it’s imperative that you add your Dean’s List accomplishment to your resume.
Many companies use an applicant tracking system or a resume parser that helps weed out and filter potential candidates. Because of this, you’ll want an ATS-friendly resume for companies that filter candidates for Dean’s List, good grades, or a high cumulative GPA.
2. When NOT To Put Dean’s List on Resume
Do not add Dean’s List to your resume if:
You Made the List Only Once or Twice
Reconsider adding Dean’s List to your resume if you only made it once or twice, as the inconsistency may generate challenging questions. An employer might think you’ll do the same after they hire you.
That said, if there are reasons that you simply couldn’t manage the workload all the time due to second and third jobs, family considerations, etc., and you can talk through it well, go ahead and add it.
The Dean’s List Isn’t Clear To Your Potential Employer
The Dean’s List is not established or popular in all countries but is prevalent in the U.S. and Canada.
If you’re applying for a job in a country where the list isn’t recognized, it may not make sense to the employer, and it’s better not to include it.
That’s another reason why it’s crucial to do some research about an employer before creating a resume.
You’ve Had a Long and Successful Career
If you’ve had a long and successful career, don’t include that you made the Dean’s List in your CV.
At this point, an employer needs to know your relevant skills and work history. Although your academic achievements are significant, they come after professional experience and may not affect the hiring decisions.
However, you should consider the skills the employer looks for in candidates. If they emphasize a robust academic background or work ethic, putting the Dean’s List in your resume can help you stand out from other applicants, even when you’ve got a successful career.
You Have Other More Prestigious Academic Honors
If you have other academic honors that are more prestigious than the Dean’s List, don’t add it to your resume as it can be interpreted as overkill and may lessen your chances of getting hired.
3. Determine Where to Put the Dean’s List on Resume
You can include the Dean’s List in several places in your CV:
- The education section
- The accomplishment section
- The awards section
How To Add Dean’s List to Resume’s Education Section
When adding Dean’s List to your resume’s education section, list your education details, such as university, major, and GPA. Include the Dean’s List after the GPA and your graduation or expected graduation date following that.
How to Include Dean’s List on Resume’s Awards and Accomplishments Section
You can also put Dean’s List on the resume’s awards and accomplishment section. Utilizing these sections is remarkably better when you’ve made the list several times.
However, you should include other awards and accomplishments in this section to showcase more achievements.
4. Indicate the Number of Times You Made the Dean’s List
If you made the Dean’s List several times, you should indicate the number of times and the years you made the list. Employers will love your consistency and discipline.
However, as mentioned above, if you attended a prestigious institution, it’s okay to include the list even when you made it only once. Just write “Dean’s List” without reference to the number of times or the years.
5. Format the Dean’s List Inclusion on Your Resume Properly
To properly format the Dean’s List inclusion in your resume, you can italicize or bold the section to make it stand out from other sections. In addition, you can use bullet points when listing your awards and accomplishments and include that you were on the Dean’s List.
Remember to put the words Dean’s List in the title case and not in the sentence case. The first letter of each word should be capitalized. For example, “Dean’s List” and not “dean’s list.”
How to Put Non-Consecutive Dean’s List on Resume
If you made it to the Dean’s List non-consecutively, you only need to state the number of times you made it.
They don’t have to be consecutive. For example, you can write something like “Dean’s List, 6 semesters”. In this case, the best place to write you made the Dean’s List is the “Awards and Accomplishments” section of your CV.
Template for Including Dean’s List on a Resume + Example
Below are templates and examples to guide you on how to include Dean’s List on a resume. You can choose to use them to add Dean’s List to your resume based on the format you prefer. For more options, check out our post on entry-level resume examples and templates.
Resume Template 1
The first demonstration shows how to put Dean’s List on a resume’s “Education” section. Here’s an example and resume template for adding Dean’s List.
EDUCATION
College/university
Degree & major achieved
Years Attended
GPA, Dean’s List, X semesters
Resume Example 1
EDUCATION
The University of Georgia, Atlanta, GA
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, Graduation 2020
GPA 3.7/4.0, Dean’s List, 6 semesters
Resume Template 2
Below is a demonstration of how to list Dean’s List in a resume’s Awards and Accomplishments Section. However, don’t put Dean’s List if it’s the only accomplishment in this section. It’s advisable to drop the section entirely and use the abovementioned method. Here’s a Dean’s List on a resume template with the proper use of bullet points.
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Dean’s List, X semesters
- Award or Accomplishment #1
- Award or Accomplishment #2
- Award or Accomplishment #3
Resume Example 2
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Dean’s list, 6 semesters
- Student of the Year Award 2005
- 1st Prize in a Student Non-fiction Writing Contest
- Winner Fine Art Award
Advantages of Putting Dean’s List on a Resume
Some of the most notable advantages of putting Dean’s List on a resume include:
- It demonstrates hard work and excellence, which can give recruiters more reasons to hire you
- It shows performance consistency
- It helps a resume stand out from those of other candidates
- It shows that you have transferable skills such as critical thinking and work ethic
- It adds more details to your resume, especially if you are an entry-level applicant
Disadvantages of Putting Dean’s List on a Resume
Although putting Dean’s List on your resume has several advantages, it also has some disadvantages in some situations.
Below are some of the drawbacks.
- It could show inconsistencies if you made the list for only one semester or a few
- It can have no meaning if the requirements necessary to make the list aren’t challenging to achieve
- It can be unnecessary, especially if you are highly experienced
Academic Honors on Your Resume Frequently Asked Questions
These are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding putting a Dean’s List on a resume. These answers should provide you with guidance on how to put Dean’s List on your resume, including where to place it, how to format it, and what information to include.
In most cases, you'll create an education section on your resume followed by the name of the university, degree or expected degree, major, any academic honors, and graduation or expected graduation date.
This section should be placed toward the top of your resume for recent grads or current students and toward the bottom following five years of work experience.
To put a Dean's List on your resume, determine if including it is appropriate for your specific situation, choose which section to include it (education or award and accomplishments), format it properly, and make it professional and easily readable.
Whether or not you should put on your Dean's List on curriculum vitae depends on several things, such as your work experience, the consistency of making the list, and which school you attended.
You can put Dean's List on the education section of your resume or include it in the awards and accomplishments section. It all depends on where you prefer based on your resume format.
If you aren't applying for your first job or internship, it's better to avoid putting your Dean's List on your resume. It's advantageous to focus more on your skills than academic accomplishments when you have work experience.
There are certain situations when putting the Dean's List on a resume is acceptable. These include when you are looking for a job immediately after finishing school, when you attended a prestigious college or university or when you consistently made it to the list. If you didn't make the list consistently or are highly experienced, including it may not make any difference.
You should not put Dean's List on your resume for only one semester as it may demonstrate inconsistency and does not sit well with specific recruiters. Employers appreciate employees who maintain consistency; if they sense you don't have it in the hiring stage, they may reject your application and move on to other candidates.
However, suppose you graduated from a prestigious university or one known to have demanding requirements to join the list. In that case, you could put Dean's List on your curriculum vitae for only one semester. However, avoid putting it next to your GPA; include it in the awards and accomplishments section.
How To Put Dean’s List on a Resume Summary
Including the Dean’s List, similar to communicating you’re a fast learner or that you’ve trained new employees on a resume, can be beneficial when trying to get noticed by a hiring manager.
It’s important to know when to put it on your resume and your LinkedIn summary and when not to. For example, if you’ve just finished undergrad or graduate school and are among the eligible students that earned the honor, including it is a must.
Further, if the job application requires a certain level of performance from your academic institution, be sure to add it. However, when you’ve had a successful career for over five years, it’s advisable not to include it and instead focus on your experience.
When putting the deans list on your resume, ensure it is in the right place, such as under education or awards and accomplishment sections.
