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Illustration showing when to use a scholarship resume vs an academic resume with student, resume, and education icons
Published in: Resume Writing Guidance

When Do you Need a Scholarship Resume or an Academic Resume?

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In the academia sector, the standard resumes never stand a chance when you are looking for a job opportunity or project funding. However, every resume document in academia speaks differently.

The scholarship resume emphasizes why one should invest in a candidate. Meanwhile, the academic one informs the employer about the education, teaching, and research experience of an employee.

If you’re still feeling confused, explore this guide to find out the main difference between a scholarship and an academic resume document. Find out the main parts of each document, and the mistakes you should avoid. Moreover, apply the proofreading tips to create an effective document.

What is a Scholarship Resume?

A scholarship resume is a document that is submitted by applicants with their scholarship applications, personal statements, or essays. These documents are used to emphasize the following details of the applicants, such as:

  1. Academic experience
  2. Leadership activities
  3. Volunteer work
  4. Extracurriculars
  5. Main achievements

Moreover, the main readers of the scholarship resume include the following:

  • University panels
  • Scholarship committees
  • NGOs
  • Scholarship boards by the government
  • Academic reviewers

Apart from this, scholarship resumes are required to help the audience understand why investing in the applicant will be worth it. These applications help the decision-makers in deciding the following things:

  • Is a candidate consistent and committed?
  • What are the academic achievements of the applicant?
  • Do the applicants have leadership qualities?

The main purpose of a scholarship resume is to assess the individual as a whole. The decision-makers use this document to not only evaluate what the applicant has done but also predict their future potential.

What is an Academic Resume?

An academic resume is prepared with the purpose of getting a job in the academic sector. The main purpose of this document is to highlight the following things:

  • Teaching experience
  • Academic experience
  • Educational background
  • Academic honors
  • Research and publications

Moreover, the main audience of these academic documents is the following:

  • Academic institutions
  • Research Organizations
  • Universities
  • Faculty Accessors and Panels

Many applicants use the word resume and CV interchangeably for this job document. However, an academic resume is short in length and a concise version of an academic CV.

Moreover, since an academic resume is a more detailed document than the scholarship one, it can also be used for applying to:

  1. Scholarships
  2. Grants
  3. Research opportunities

What are the Main Components Required to Create a Scholarship Resume?

The following parts of a scholarship resume play a vital role in ensuring the effectiveness of the document:

Header Section

The header of this document includes the contact details of the applicant. It helps the audience or the scholarship committee members in connecting with the applicant by providing the following details:

  • Full name
  • Active phone number
  • Professional email address
  • City of Residence
  • Portfolio or LinkedIn link (optional)
  • Links to academic projects
  • Research profile name

Objective Statement

Unlike professional resumes, scholarship resumes focus more on the objectives of the applicant. This statement is written within 2 or 3 lines and highlights the following things:

  • Main topic of study
  • Main goal
  • Requirement for scholarship
  • Alignment with the scholarship purpose

Education Section

The education section of a scholarship resume is the main resume section and includes the following kinds of details:

  • Highlights recent experiences on top.
  • Includes the name of the degree and institution.
  • Include the date of graduation.
  • Above-average percentage or GPA.
  • Relevant coursework aligned with scholarship purposes.
  • Thesis topics and research interests.
  • Academic honors and merit awards.
  • Academic work projects, along with valuable outcomes.

Awards and Honors

The applicants use this section to include their top achievements in the form of a list. The elements included in this section are:

  • Scholarships received
  • Grants and fellowship opportunities
  • Academic recognition
  • Competitions

Work and Volunteer experience

This section is used to highlight any volunteer, community work, or professional experience. The details included in this section are:

  • Internships
  • Leadership opportunities
  • Research assistance opportunities

References

Many scholarship committees or donors request professional references included within the resumes. Meanwhile, the practice of including references in a resume isn’t used much because it’s outdated.

The applicants should only include the details of 2 or 3 professional references when requested explicitly. The details include the following:

  • Full name
  • Profession
  • Contact details
  • Institution
  • Professional connection

What sections are included in an academic resume?

Every academic resume document is designed with the following parts:

Resume Header

This part is significant for providing all the necessary information that can be used by the employer to contact you. The details included in the resume header are the following:

  • Full name
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • LinkedIn or portfolio links

Resume Summary

The professional summary or the professional statement is used to give a short teaser of the resume details. Applicants can hint at their experience level, major achievement, or research project.

Work History

Work history is a major part of academic resumes that mostly highlights teaching or research experience. Moreover, it is listed in a reverse-chronological order and includes the following details:

  • Job position
  • Institute/Employer name
  • Duration of experience
  • Main achievements and duties
  • Research projects, scope, methodologies, and results
  • Academic awards and professional certifications

Academic Experience

It is one of the main sections of your academic document and often includes educational details in reverse-chronological order. Unlike professional resumes, academic resumes provide a bit detailed version of one’s academic experiences in the form of these details:

  • Name of institute
  • Degree obtained
  • Years Attended
  • Academic honors

Skills

Similar to the job resume, this academic document includes a skills section, which is divided into two categories:

  • Hard skills: The technical competencies of an applicant, including the tools, software, or methodologies they use.
  • Soft skills: The interpersonal skills of an applicant, such as communication or active listening, that are often required to perform the job.

Additional Sections

The academic job applications also have the following sections:

  • Publications: Unlike professional resumes, these documents list every written or published work by the applicant. It includes books, articles, journals, and more.
  • Presentations: This section helps the applicant in emphasizing the opportunity of presenting research in a seminar or conference.
  • Grants and Awards: This resume section is often used to highlight any major achievements in a career. Moreover, it also adds details regarding scholarships or funding received for previous research projects.
  • Professional Affiliations: The applicant highlights their connection with an academic or research organization. This section helps in proving credibility for an applicant.

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What is the Difference Between an Academic and a Scholarship Resume?

The major differences between a scholarship resume and an academic one are:

Resume Purpose

The main focus of the scholarship resume is to show the leadership skills, achievements, and credibility of an applicant. It is mostly used to convince the audience to grant the applicant some form of monetary assistance.

Meanwhile, the academic resumes focus more on the educational background and research work of the applicant. The purpose of this resume document is to get admissions, academic jobs, or research opportunities.

Resume Content

The major content focus of the scholarship resume is on the awards and volunteer work experiences. It focuses on why an applicant deserves the opportunity.

Meanwhile, the academic ones focus more on research work and publication details. The applicants also highlight major coursework to let the reader know about their expertise.

Resume Length

The scholarship resume is a short one-page document, whereas the academic one tends to be long and often up to three pages.

What are the Mistakes that Should be Avoided while Creating Each Resume?

Many applicants who aren’t aware of proper resume writing rules often end up making serious resume mistakes, such as:

Scholarship resume

  • There is no alignment between the purpose of a scholarship and the recommendation letter, personal statement, and resume.
  • The resume dates and timeframes are incorrect.
  • The inclusion of irrelevant details and competencies instead of highlighting contributions.
  • Not emphasizing the academic experience and awards section.
  • Exaggerating or lying about one’s achievements in the resume.
  • Inclusion of irrelevant work experiences that don’t align with the scholarship.

Academic resume

  • Adding too many irrelevant details increases the resume length.
  • Untargeted job applications that don’t align with the target job requirements.
  • Overuse of keywords and specific industry terms that are not understood by the general readers of the resume.
  • Lack of proper resume formatting and use of inconsistent sections, fonts, margins, and line spacing.
  • Lack of proper proofreading with potential grammatical, spellings or typographical errors that reduce professionalism.

How to Write a Good Resume for a Scholarship or Academic Position?

The applicants can only prepare effective resumes when they are aware of the following factors while creating them:

Focus of Resume Purpose

Every document serves a different purpose, including the scholarship resume or the academic one. Before working on the resume, it is important to clarify your objectives.

Inclusion of Academic Achievements

The purpose of both scholarship and academic documents is to get an opportunity in the academic sector. It is important to emphasize the educational credentials to convince the audience to select an applicant.

Consistent Resume formatting

Resume formatting is an important element since these documents are different from standard resumes. An academic resume can also be used for a scholarship. However, the scholarship resume can’t be used for getting a job in a research organization.

Similarly, academic resumes have different resume sections unlike an academic CV, which is a more detailed career document.

Final Checklist

Once you’re done with the editing of the first draft of your resume, it is required to proofread it:

  • Applicants should take proper breaks between editing and final proofreading.
  • Use grammar or spelling checkers to spot any mistakes that might be ignored during manual reading.
  • Read the document aloud to spot weird sentences or any grammatical errors.
  • Ensure that the fonts, line spacing, and layout are consistent throughout.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are two key Things that you Should Not Do when creating a Scholarship Resume?

Getting a scholarship isn’t an easy thing, and applicants should not sabotage the opportunity by making these mistakes:

  1. Making it look like a professional resume: A professional resume is different from a scholarship resume since it is more focused on what you can offer. Many applicants commit the mistake of formatting a resume utilized for academic settings as a professional resume.
  2. Leaving out Volunteer or community work experiences: Many applicants skip these experiences, which are significant to include in a scholarship resume. It is important to include such details in a scholarship resume since they are valued by the scholarship committee.

Q. What is the Difference Between an Academic Resume and a Job Resume?

An academic resume is used to apply for academic jobs or opportunities. However, it is different from a job resume in terms of resume length. The typical job resume is often created within a page, while an academic resume requires one to three pages.

Moreover, the other major difference between the two is the main purpose of the resume. The standard resume focuses more on the work history of an applicant, while academic resumes focus on academic experiences. These resumes emphasize sections such as the following:

  • Research projects
  • Publications
  • Leadership activities
  • Volunteer work

Q. What is the Difference Between an Academic Resume and an Academic CV?

The academic resume is different from an Academic CV in the following ways, such as:

  • Resume Length: Academic resumes are generally between one and three pages in length, while academic CVs can be a 10-page document.
  • Resume Purpose: Resumes are used by students for admissions or as an application for academic opportunities. Meanwhile, the CV is used for advanced purposes like grants for research work, higher-level teaching, or advanced studies.
  • Resume content: The content of an academic resume includes a quick summary of academic experiences and work history. Meanwhile, academic CVs are detailed documents that highlight every academic experience, including research, publication, and more in detail.