An academic CV should help the reader understand what you have studied, what you have done and how that experience prepares you for the course. You do not need to fill every possible section. Start with the application instructions and use evidence you can explain.
This guide is for Nigerian graduates preparing a master’s application. The examples below are fictional teaching examples, not the CV of an admitted student or a promise of admission.
On this page: Check the instructions · CV outline · Annotated example · Review checklist
Check whether you need a separate CV
Oxford’s CV guidance explains that many courses collect experience in the application form rather than through a separate CV upload. Where a CV is required, follow the course’s length and content instructions. Do not leave mandatory form fields empty because the information appears in an attachment.
If there is no stated length, our practical starting point for a recent graduate is a concise one- or two-page document. Expand it only when relevant evidence needs the space. That is an editorial suggestion, not a rule shared by every university.
A CV outline you can copy and adapt
- Name and contact: your name, professional email and relevant portfolio or project link, if you have one.
- Education: exact degree title, institution, dates and relevant results. Identify the grading scale when providing a CGPA.
- Project or research experience: the question you investigated, your contribution, methods and output.
- Relevant employment, NYSC or internship: organisation, role, dates and work that relates to the course.
- Skills: tools, methods or languages you can demonstrate, with evidence where useful.
- Awards, publications or presentations: include only items that exist and are relevant; omit empty sections.
Use clear headings and consistent dates. Put the most relevant evidence where it is easy to find. A graduate changing fields may need to explain relevant coursework or a project before describing unrelated employment.
Do not invent a converted GPA. Keep your original result and scale unless the application explicitly asks for a conversion using a specified method. Check names and dates against your academic transcript.
An annotated fictional example
Fictional applicant: a Nigerian economics graduate applying for a quantitative master’s. The details below are invented only to illustrate how an entry works; replace them with your own evidence.
Education
BSc Economics, [University], [dates]
Final-year project: Household transport spending in [study area]
Relevant coursework: [actual modules relevant to the chosen programme]
Why this works: it identifies the qualification and points the reader toward relevant preparation. The module list should be selective and accurate, not every course on the transcript.
Project experience
Designed a questionnaire with supervisor feedback, cleaned a 120-response dataset in Excel, and presented descriptive findings in a final-year dissertation. Documented missing responses and the limits of the sample.
Why this works: it separates contribution, method and output. The number 120 belongs only to this fictional example. A real applicant must use their actual sample, tools and role, including the limits of what they did.
Relevant NYSC experience
Supported record-keeping at [organisation]; prepared a monthly spreadsheet summary of [actual activity] and checked inconsistent entries with the responsible staff member.
Why this works: the entry explains the work instead of assuming that the words “NYSC experience” demonstrate a particular skill. Include service experience when it contributes useful evidence for the programme.
Turn vague claims into specific entries
Instead of “Excellent research and leadership skills,” ask yourself: What did I investigate? What did I organise? What record or output shows it? You can describe a small piece of work precisely without making it sound larger than it was.
A useful drafting pattern is action + task + method + output. You do not need all four parts in every bullet, and you should not manufacture a measurable result just to fit the pattern. “Assisted with data cleaning” is more credible than “led the analysis” if you were assisting.
If you have no publications, omit that section. Do not present a class assignment as a journal article. If a project is unfinished, label it as ongoing and describe the work completed so far. A blank publication list is not a reason to invent one.
Check the CV against the rest of your application
- The course accepts or requests a separate CV.
- Degree titles, grades and dates agree with official documents.
- Every entry describes my own contribution accurately.
- Links open the intended project or portfolio.
- The most relevant evidence is easy to find.
- The file follows the requested format and length.
- The statement and CV agree without repeating every sentence.
Send the final version to an agreed referee as useful background; see how to request a master’s reference. Keep it with your application document checklist and create a separate final file for each programme when tailoring is needed.
Sources checked on 21 September 2026. See our editorial policy or report a correction.