How to Write Academic CV for Scholarship 2026 (10 Examples)

I still remember the night I sent my Chevening application. My heart racing, fingers shaking, praying my CV wouldn’t get lost in the pile. It didn’t. That one-page document helped me win a fully funded Master’s in the UK and I’ve since helped 200+ students do the same.

Here’s the truth: scholarship committees spend less than 30 seconds on your CV. Make those seconds count, and they’ll read your motivation letter. Mess it up, and you’re out before they even know your name.

Let’s build a CV that opens doors.

Why Your Scholarship CV Is More Important Than You Think

Your CV is the very first filter. It has one job: prove you meet the basic requirements AND make the reader excited to learn more about you.

A strong CV says: ✓ Yes, I have the grades and experience ✓ I’m professional, organized, and serious ✓ I’m the kind of person you want representing your scholarship

The Exact Structure That Wins Scholarships in 2025

1. Keep It Short & Beautiful

Maximum 2 pages (1 page is even better for most scholarships like Chevening, Erasmus Mundus, Stipendium Hungaricum). Use clean font: Times New Roman or Arial, size 11–12. Use bold, bullets, and clear section lines.

2. Start with Contact Info (No Fluff)

Top of the page: Your Full Name (big & bold) Phone | Professional Email | LinkedIn | City, Country Skip putting “CV” or “Resume” as title. It looks amateur.

Pro tip: Change funny emails like coolboy99@gmail.com → firstname.lastname@gmail.com

3. Education (Usually Comes First)

Scholarships care most that you’re eligible.

Example: Master of Science in Environmental Engineering Technical University of Munich, Germany 2022 – 2024 | GPA: 3.9/4.0 | Thesis Distinction

Bachelor of Civil Engineering University of Lagos, Nigeria 2017 – 2021 | First Class Honours | Best Final Year Project Award

4. Professional & Research Experience (Show Impact, Not Just Duties)

Bad: “Intern at XYZ Company, helped with reports Good:Increased social media reach by 340% in 6 months through targeted campaigns | XYZ Agency, Lagos (2023)

Bad:Volunteer teacher Good:Taught English to 60 refugee children weekly, improving their reading scores by 45% | Refugee Support NGO, Athens (2022)

Always use numbers and results when possible.

5. Publications, Awards & Certificates (Your Golden Section)

Even one school prize or online certificate belongs here.

Examples: → Winner, National Innovation Challenge 2024 (1st out of 1,200 entries) → Published: “Climate-Resilient Housing in West Africa” – Journal of Sustainable Cities (DOI: 10.XXXX) → Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate (2023)

6. Languages (Be Honest!)

English – Native French – Fluent (C1) Spanish – Intermediate (B1) German – Beginner (A2) – currently learning on Duolingo

7. Skills & Software

8. Volunteer & Leadership Experience

Founder & President, Women in STEM Club (200+ members) Organized 15 workshops reaching 800 female high school students

9. Optional but Powerful: Interests (Only 1 Line)

Long-distance running | Debate | Traditional Indian dance (Shows personality without taking space)

You can check How to Write a Winning Statement of Purpose for Scholarship 2026 (With Example)

Academic CV Samples:

EhsasKafaalat.com has compiled a list of CV samples for scholarships from the world’s top university websites. These include a sample CV for different programs linke for a master’s scholarship and a sample CV for a PhD scholarship. These can also be edited for sample CVs for undergraduate scholarships with slight tweaking. We hope this list will help you in writing an effective and winning academic CV for the scholarship.

Good News! EhsasKafaalat.com is sharing with you the best academic CV example. I hope this will help you greatly in preparing your scholarship application.

Academic CV

Academic CV for Scholarship

Now it’s your turn!

These tips and resources will surely help you craft a perfect academic CV for a scholarship. Remember that a CV is invaluable and will make or break your chances of winning a scholarship. Spend some time pondering over the points discussed in the article and come up with a brilliant CV.

Wishing you Success!!

Did you know there are hundreds of fully funded scholarships available around the world? If not, you can explore our Scholarship Catalog and apply for as many scholarships as you like for absolutely free.

Ehsas Kafaalat