Education usually goes near the top of a resume for students and recent graduates, and below work experience for candidates with several years of professional history. The key is to place it where it best supports your main selling points for the role.

General placement rules

  • If you are a student or recent grad with limited experience, put Education right under your header and summary, before work experience. This lets employers quickly see your degree, school, and key academic achievements.
  • If you have solid professional experience (roughly 3–5+ years), place Education after your Work Experience section. In this case, your on-the-job impact is the main focus, and education supports it.
  • If your education is less relevant than certifications or specialized sections (like “Projects” or “Technical Skills”), you can list those first and move Education slightly lower on the page. This is common in fast-changing, skills-heavy fields like tech and design.

Simple placement examples

  • New graduate / student:
    • Header
    • Summary or Objective
    • Education
    • Experience (internships, part-time, projects)
    • Skills / Certifications
  • Experienced professional:
    • Header
    • Summary
    • Work Experience
    • Education
    • Skills / Additional Sections (Certifications, Projects, Volunteer, etc.)

In short, put education where it strengthens your story the most: high on the page when school is your biggest asset, and below experience once your career track record takes the lead.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.