How to Include Dean’s List Achievement on a Resume — Top Tips!

Sharing is caring!

 Making the Dean’s List is a great personal achievement for a college or university student, demonstrating a high level of academic performance for one or more semesters. 

It should not, however, be confused with an honors degree; the Dean’s List award is similar to an honor roll. 

This accomplishment can show employers that not only is the applicant a hard-working individual but that they are also dedicated to success. 

Therefore, most of the time, recruiters love to see it on a resume but where would the ideal place to list it be and how should it be written?

 

Where to put Dean’s List on a resume?

There are different ways to put a Dean’s List mention in the resume, depending on the circumstance. The first would be under the ‘Education’ section, the second under the ‘Achievement’ section, and the third in the ’Professional Profile/Summary’ section at the very top of the resume. The best place would be in the ‘Education’ section as it adds more impressive accomplishments to a section that is mostly left somewhat bare compared to the other sections. It also helps students or recent graduates emphasizing their education to stand out from other applicants. 

 

The 3 different ways to show a Dean’s List

 

Listing a Dean’s List achievement under the ‘Education’ section

Typically, the applicant’s education goes after the work experience on a resume or it can put before to highlight it instead of a career. 

In cases where the job seeker has minimal work experience or is applying to a graduate school, the ‘Education’ section would be better placed before the ‘Work Experience’ section.

The Dean’s List can be put under the ‘Education’ section right next to the GPA. This shows the hiring official two strong achievements during an applicant’s student life. 

It is most important on a college or university graduate’s resume as those job seekers usually have to emphasize their education, and this makes them appear as strong candidates.

Bullet points can be used to list this achievement directly under the degree, below the college or university’s name. 

It is also highly recommended to note how many semesters the student was on the Dean’s List. If it was for just one semester then only the date should be written. 

Examples:

University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (2017-2020)
-Major in Applied Statistics, Honors Bachelor of Science

• GPA 3.98
• Honors: Dean’s List for all semesters.

New York University, New York, USA (2015 – 2019)
-Major in Psychology, Bachelor of Arts 

• GPA 3.87, Dean’s List (Winter 2019)

 

Listing a Dean’s List achievement under the ‘Achievements’ section 

If the resume has an ‘Achievements’ section that highlights important accomplishments relevant to the job position, then a Dean’s List can be put there, especially if there are other academic awards. 

Although, it should be noted that if the job seeker has other significant awards and has only been on the Dean’s List for one semester, it is better to not put it in this section. 

This is because recruiters only care about big achievements and do not really care about minor ones as they go through hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes. 

 

Examples:

 

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

• Member of Phi Beta Kappa
• Dean’s list – 2 semesters (Fall & Winter 2020)

 

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Salesperson of the Year Award – Johnson & Associates (2018)

• In recognition for achieving 150% of the annual target. 

 

Dean’s List – University of Washington (2015 – 2017)

• Maintained honor list for 6 consecutive semesters.

 

Listing a Dean’s List achievement under the ‘Professional Profile/Summary’ section:

The ‘Professional Profile/Summary’ section is at the very top of the resume.

It is the first thing that recruiters read and most of the time this is where they decide if the applicant is a strong candidate or not. 

Therefore, it is very important to intrigue the hiring official with this section. 

This section should explain who the job seeker is, their experience, significant achievements, and core competencies in 3 to 4 sentences. 

The Dean’s List achievement can be mentioned here to show continuous high performance from the very beginning of the resume and then can be repeated in the ‘Education’ or ‘Achievement’ section. 

Since this is one of the most important parts of the resume, including the Dean’s List differentiates applicants from others right from the very start as this honor list is not just based on the GPA but the comparative performance of other students. 

 

Examples:

1) Customer Service Specialist with more than 2 years of experience in the retail and branding sector. Raised company revenue, saved costs, and optimized overall store operations by conceptualizing and implementing customer retention strategies from product merchandising to store management. Obtained Honors Bachelor of Commerce Degree, with a Dean’s List achievement for three semesters.

2) Business Graduate and Certified Public Accountant with 3 years of experience in the Accounting and Marketing sectors. Received Employee of the Year Award for two years consecutively and graduated with a mention on the Dean’s List. Implemented data analytics and strategies that ensure compliance with accounting activities and maintained a strong social media presence on all important social media platforms. 

 

The most important factor to keep in mind about where to put the Dean’s List achievement is knowing the job’s requirements. 

Is the position in a field where academic achievements are important?

Are you freshly graduated and so the recruiter would appreciate a Dean’s List accomplishment in your application for the specific position? 

Moreover, it is fine to leave the achievement out if it is not a priority anymore and if there are other recent awards or achievements that the recruiter will find more impressive, especially if you did not maintain a position on the Dean’s List for more than one semester. 

Staying on the Dean’s List for only one semester might be seen by the recruiter as inconsistent performance, or it might still be appreciated. 

Again, it depends on the type of job you are applying to.