Dean's List on Resume: Where It Goes and 6 Examples
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
6 min read
Put Dean's List on your resume as one line under the degree in your education section, with the semesters you earned it, or in a separate honors section if you have three or more awards. That is the whole answer, and it fits on one line. The constraint is space: a hiring manager gives the education section a glance, so the honor has to sit where the glance lands. Purdue's Online Writing Lab, in its guide to the honors and activities section, describes the job of that section plainly: it "highlights the relevant activities you have been involved with and the honors you have received that you could discuss with your prospective employer." Below: where it goes, how to write several semesters, when to drop it, and six complete examples. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.
Where Dean's List goes on a resume
You earned it with a semester of top grades, and the reward is half a line of eleven point type. That is not an insult. That is the correct size, because the honor is evidence and the degree is the claim. Put it directly under the degree it belongs to, so the reader sees school, degree, date and proof in one look.
Entry level: Dean's List as one line under the degree (34 words)
EDUCATION
University of Georgia, Athens, GA Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, expected May GPA 3.7 Dean's List: Fall and Spring semesters, sophomore and junior years Relevant coursework: Consumer Behavior, Marketing Research, Digital Analytics
If your school uses a different name, use the school's name for it. Dean's Honor List, Dean's Honor Roll, President's List and Chancellor's List are all real titles, and a reader who checks with the registrar will look for the exact one. Do not translate a President's List into a Dean's List to make it sound familiar; it is usually the higher honor.
How to write Dean's List for multiple semesters
Name the semesters once, in one line. Writing a separate line for every term turns a strong record into a long list that looks padded. If you made it every term, say so in three words.
Mid level: every semester, written in one line (32 words)
EDUCATION
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH Bachelor of Science in Accounting, magna cum laude Dean's List: all eight semesters Beta Alpha Psi, Vice President of Programs
Certified Public Accountant, State of Ohio
"All eight semesters" does the work that eight lines would do badly. The same rule covers a patchy record: "Dean's List, three semesters" is honest, short, and still counts.
A separate honors section or the education line
Use the education line when Dean's List is your only honor or one of two. Use a separate honors section when you have three or more: scholarships, a departmental award, an honor society, a competition result. Purdue's guide is specific about placement: "The honors and activities section is generally placed after the education and experience sections of the résumé." That is the right order for anyone with work experience. A current student with little work history can put the section straight after education instead.
Entry level: a separate honors section for a new graduate (44 words)
EDUCATION
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ Bachelor of Science in Nursing, May
HONORS AND AWARDS
Dean's List, five semesters Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, inducted senior year College of Health Solutions Merit Scholarship, four years Outstanding Clinical Student Award, pediatric rotation
Dean's List on a resume for an internship or first job
When the education section is the main event, every line in it has to pull weight. Put the honor next to proof of what you did with the knowledge: a project, a lab, a role. MIT's career advising office makes the point about the whole page: "While you might keep a ‘master resume’ detailing all your experiences and awards, when applying for a job you want to build a resume that targets a specific position or employer." Our first job resume guide shows the rest of a no experience resume around this block.
Entry level: internship resume with Dean's List and a project (59 words)
EDUCATION
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, expected May GPA 3.6 | Dean's List, four semesters
Senior design project: led a team of four building a low cost water filtration rig for a rural clinic; wrote the test plan and ran flow tests on three prototypes.
Relevant coursework: Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Machine Design, MATLAB
When to take Dean's List off your resume
Drop it once your work record says more than your transcript. For most people that is the second or third job after graduation, when a promotion, a client result or a license is a stronger line than a semester grade. Keep the degree and any Latin honors, which travel with you for a whole career. Drop the semester honors and the GPA first.
Mid level: five years in, the honor folded into the degree line (31 words)
EDUCATION
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Bachelor of Arts in Economics, cum laude, Dean's List
CERTIFICATIONS
Chartered Financial Analyst, Level II candidate Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Series 7 and 63
At this point Dean's List is a word in the degree line, not a line of its own. That is the step down before it disappears.
Senior resumes and graduate school applications
A senior professional rarely needs it, with one exception: an academic CV or a graduate school application, where the full academic record is the subject. Harvard's career services office defines the document as "a concise, informative summary of your abilities, education, and experience." In a graduate application, education is the main part of that summary, so the honors can stay. See our best resume format guide for how the section order changes between the two documents.
Senior level: graduate school application with full academic honors (53 words)
EDUCATION
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, summa cum laude Dean's List, all semesters Phi Beta Kappa Undergraduate Research Fellowship, two years
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Undergraduate researcher, protein folding laboratory: ran circular dichroism experiments, presented a poster at the university research symposium, and co-authored one manuscript under review.
One more thing applicant tracking systems care about. MIT also notes that "Employers may use keyword scanning on resumes, so know what words are relevant to the industry and position and ensure they appear in your resume." Write "Dean's List" in plain words, not an abbreviation or a school specific code, so a search for it finds you. Our resume skills section guide covers the same keyword logic for skills.
Frequently asked questions
How do you put Dean's List on a resume?
Write it as one line under the degree in your education section, using your school's exact name for the honor and the semesters you earned it, for example "Dean's List: Fall and Spring, junior year". If you have three or more honors, list it first in a separate honors and awards section instead.
Should I put Dean's List on my resume?
Yes, while you are a student, a recent graduate, or applying to graduate school, because it is verified proof of academic performance. Once you have two or three years of relevant work, fold it into the degree line or drop it, because results from your job will say more than a semester grade.
How do you list Dean's List for multiple semesters?
Use one line and name the semesters together: "Dean's List, four semesters" or "Dean's List: all eight semesters". Never give each term its own line, because a list of repeated honors looks padded and pushes stronger lines further down the page where a hiring manager may never read them.
Is deans list on a resume the same as Latin honors?
No. Dean's List is awarded per semester for grades in that term, while Latin honors such as cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude are awarded once, at graduation, for the whole degree. Latin honors stay on a resume for a full career; semester honors usually come off first.
Where does Dean's List go if I have no work experience?
Put the education section at the top of the page with Dean's List in it, then follow it with projects, volunteering, campus roles and part time work. When education is your strongest section, the honor belongs where the reader starts, next to a project that shows what you did with the knowledge.
Related articles
- Accounting Executive Resume: 5 Examples by Career Level
- Administration Resume Examples: 8 Samples, Entry to Manager
- Another Word for Resume: CV, Bio and 10 More Options
- Apple Pages Resume Template: 6 Examples Built for ATS
More articles
- Delivering at Pace: 4 Civil Service Examples, EO to G7
- Developing Self and Others: 4 Civil Service Examples
- ED Nurse Interview Questions With 9 Full Sample Answers
Looking for a worked example for your job title? Browse the resume examples by job title.