Quick answer: a graduate scheme CV in the UK is one or two pages, starts with your education (degree, university, classification or predicted grade), then projects, work experience, societies and skills, each backed by a result. No photo and no date of birth. Tailor it to every scheme using words from the advert, and apply early, because many schemes close between November and January.
This guide covers the UK graduate CV format, a full graduate CV example you can copy, how to get past applicant tracking systems, the application timeline, and what to do if you are applying from abroad.
Why your graduate scheme CV matters more this year
Competition is tight. Indeed data reported by Retail Times showed graduate job postings down around 13% year on year as of 2 October 2026, their lowest level for that point in the year since 2020. Fewer adverts mean more applicants per scheme, so a vague, one-size CV gets filtered out fast.
The UK graduate CV format, in this order
- Name and contact: phone, email, city and a LinkedIn link. No photo, date of birth, marital status or nationality.
- Profile: two or three lines naming your degree, the scheme or field, and two strengths with proof.
- Education: degree, university, years and classification or predicted grade (for example "predicted 2:1"). Add relevant modules or your dissertation title if they match the role. A-levels in one line.
- Projects: coursework, a dissertation, a hackathon or a personal project, with what you found or built.
- Work experience: internships and part-time jobs count. Bar, retail and call centre work show reliability, customer skills and handling pressure.
- Societies and volunteering: roles with results ("grew membership from 40 to 95"), not just "member of".
- Skills: software, data tools, languages and any certificates.
Keep it to two pages at most. For most finalists one full page is stronger than two thin ones. Not sure whether you need a CV or a resume for a particular employer? Our CV vs resume guide explains the difference.
Graduate CV example (filled in)
Priya Shah
Manchester · 07700 900123 · priya.shah@email.com · linkedin.com/in/priyashah
Profile
Final-year Economics student (predicted 2:1) applying for graduate analyst schemes. Strong in Excel, Python and data analysis, with a dissertation on regional house prices and two years of customer-facing work. Clear communicator who explains numbers to non-specialists.
Education
BSc Economics · University of Manchester · 2024–2027 · Predicted 2:1
Relevant modules: Econometrics, Data Analysis for Economists, Public Economics
Dissertation: The effect of remote working on house prices in Greater Manchester (regression analysis of Land Registry data)
A-levels: Mathematics A*, Economics A, Geography A · Leicester, 2024
Projects
Student Investment Society portfolio challenge: built a Python model to rebalance a mock £10,000 portfolio; team placed 2nd of 18.
Experience
Summer Intern, Finance · Northern Housing Group (Manchester) · Jun–Aug 2026
Cleaned and analysed rent arrears data in Excel; built a weekly dashboard used by the finance team; cut report preparation from a day to two hours.
Sales Assistant (part-time) · City Pharmacy, Manchester · Sep 2024–present
Serve 100+ customers per shift; trained four new starters; trusted with cashing up.
Societies and volunteering
Treasurer, Economics Society · 2025–2026: managed a £6,000 budget and secured two new sponsors.
Volunteer maths tutor, local secondary school · 2025: weekly GCSE sessions for six pupils.
Skills
Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP), Python (pandas), Stata, Power BI · Gujarati (fluent) · Full UK driving licence
Notice that almost every line has a number or an outcome. That is what turns a list of duties into evidence.
A CV for a graduate scheme with no experience
Graduate schemes are built for people starting out, so "no experience" usually means "no internship". You still have material:
- Your dissertation is a research project: name the method, the data and the finding.
- Group coursework shows teamwork and deadlines. Say what you personally did.
- Part-time jobs prove reliability and customer skills. If you are taking a seasonal role over the break, our Christmas job CV guide covers that CV.
- Society roles and volunteering with a measurable result.
Our guide to a CV for fresh graduates has more ways to fill a first CV honestly.
How to tailor your CV to each scheme
Sending the same CV to forty schemes is the most common reason good graduates get no replies. For each one:
- Read the advert and the competency list (often "communication", "commercial awareness", "problem solving", "teamwork").
- Rewrite your profile so it names that scheme's field: "graduate analyst", "audit", "software engineering".
- Reorder your bullets so the most relevant evidence comes first.
- Mirror the advert's words where they are true for you. If it says "stakeholder management", don't only write "worked with people".
ATS CV for graduate jobs: get past the software
Most large graduate employers use an applicant tracking system (ATS) that reads your CV before a person does. To make sure it can:
- Use a single column, standard headings ("Education", "Experience", "Skills") and a common font.
- Don't put key details in text boxes, tables, headers or images.
- Upload a PDF or Word file as the employer asks, not a scan.
- Include the exact keywords from the advert, naturally, in your profile, experience and skills.
Our guides to an ATS-friendly resume and to ATS resume keywords go deeper. If you'd rather start from a layout built for this, the ATS resume maker keeps everything in a readable single column, and the ATS resume checker lets you paste a job advert to see your keyword match.
Graduate scheme deadlines 2027: the timeline
Most schemes for 2027 starts follow the same cycle. According to Bright Network's 2027 deadlines list, most graduate schemes open in the autumn and run assessments through the winter, and some recruit on a rolling basis all year.
- September to October: many schemes open. Write your master CV now.
- Late October to November: a large group of deadlines.
- December to January: many more schemes close.
- February onwards: later deadlines and rolling schemes, plus some law training contracts.
Rolling schemes can close early once they have enough candidates, so don't wait for the deadline. Dates change every year: always check the employer's own careers page for the current date.
Common graduate CV mistakes
- No grade. Leaving out your classification or predicted grade makes recruiters assume it is low.
- A photo, date of birth or full address. Not expected in the UK. City is enough.
- Duties without results. "Responsible for social media" says little; "grew followers by 60% in a term" says a lot.
- Three pages. Two is the limit.
- A generic profile that could be sent to any employer.
- Typos. Graduate recruiters screen for attention to detail. Read it aloud.
Applying from abroad or as an international student
If you are an international student in the UK, the Graduate visa may let you work after your course. According to the GOV.UK Graduate visa guidance, it lasts 2 years if you apply by 31 December 2026 and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027 (3 years for a PhD), and it cannot be extended, though you may be able to switch to another visa such as Skilled Worker. Rules change, so check the current GOV.UK guidance and your university's visa advice team before you apply.
On your CV, don't list nationality or visa status by default. Some application forms ask about your right to work in the UK, so answer that accurately on the form, and check each scheme's page to see whether it offers visa sponsorship. If you are applying to the UK from another country, our guide to a resume for jobs abroad covers what to change.
Make your graduate CV on your phone
The ChatWrapper CV maker has 8 free designs with a live preview, works on a phone, and lets you switch designs without retyping. The photo is optional, so you can leave it off for UK applications. Browse the CV templates first, fill in your details once, download a PDF, then save a tailored copy for each scheme.
