Putting the Dean's List on your resume is simple: list it in your education section, directly below your degree, and note how many times you earned it.
It is worth including if you are a current student or recent graduate with limited work experience, because it shows steady academic effort that employers value in entry-level candidates.
Why should you include the Dean’s List on your resume?
Including Dean’s List honors on your resume has many benefits, especially if you’re a current student or a recent graduate.
You can add this award to your resume for the following reasons:
- It’s an impressive academic achievement: Not everyone gets on the Dean’s List. You can list this honor on your resume to show prospective employers your academic success.
- It shows your work ethic: Meeting the GPA requirements for the Dean’s List takes hard work and dedication. Many employers look for these indicators of work ethic when hiring for entry-level positions.
- It can add value if you lack work experience: If you’re a recent graduate with little or no work experience, listing your Dean’s List honors can help round out your resume.
- It can make your resume stand out: When applying for your first job, putting the Dean’s List on your resume can make you stand out from other entry-level candidates.
Where should you put the Dean's List on your resume?
The Dean's List belongs in one of two places: your education section or a standalone Honors and Awards section.
The education section is the default for most students and recent graduates.
An Honors and Awards section works better when you have several distinctions to group together, or when listing the honor next to your GPA would feel repetitive.
Use this quick guide to decide:
| Placement | Best for |
|---|---|
| Education section | Students and recent graduates with one or two academic honors |
| Honors and Awards section | Candidates with multiple awards, or those who also list Latin honors |
A practical example of the trade-off: if you already show summa cum laude beside your degree, adding Dean's List on the same line can look repetitive.
Moving it into a section for your other awards lets you keep both without cluttering your education entry.
When your academic record is stronger than your work history, you can also place the whole education section near the top of your resume so an employer sees it first.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Communication
Princeton University
Expected graduation May 2026
3.9 GPA, Dean’s List for six semesters
How to include the Dean’s List on a resume
Follow these essential steps for how to put the Dean’s List on your resume:
1. Fill out your education details
Since the Dean’s List goes in your education section, start by filling out those details.
Provide your degree and field of study, such as “Bachelor of Science in Engineering.”
Below your degree, list the name of your school and the date you graduated (or expect to graduate, if you’re currently in school).
You can use this template to complete your resume education section:
[Full name of degree]
[Name of school or institution]
[Graduation date]
[GPA], [Dean’s List, Semesters/years/times earned]
2. Mention the frequency
Making the Dean’s List multiple times shows consistency and dedication to your schoolwork.
When listing this honor on your resume, explain how many times you earned it.
You can specify the exact semesters you made the Dean’s List or the total number of times you earned this honor.
For example, you can follow any of these formatting options:
- Dean’s List, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025
- Dean’s List, 4 semesters
- Dean’s List, all semesters
If you only made the Dean’s List once or twice, putting it on your resume might draw attention to the fact that you didn’t make it consistently.
In this case, consider whether there’s another academic achievement you can list instead, like a scholarship you earned.
3. Consider moving your education to the top
When you’re just starting your career, it’s common to have more academic achievements than professional ones.
In this case, you can put your education section at the top of your resume, so that an employer sees your most impressive accomplishments first.
When to remove the Dean’s List from your resume
While academic achievements, like a high GPA and the Dean’s List, deserve a spot on your resume when you’re just starting out, they don’t belong there forever. After you’ve gained two years of work experience, remove those honors from your education section to make space for your professional accomplishments.
Dean’s List resume examples
If you need more guidance, view these other examples of how to put the Dean’s List on a resume:
Dean’s List on a student resume
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
University of Michigan
Expected graduation May 2028
GPA: 3.8
Dean’s List, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025
Dean’s List on a recent graduate resume
Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs
Boston University
May 2025
Dean’s List, 5 semesters
Can you add the Dean's List to LinkedIn?
Yes, you can add the Dean's List to LinkedIn, and it is worth doing while you are studying or searching for your first role after graduation.
LinkedIn gives you two natural places for it: the education entry for your school, or a dedicated Honors and Awards section if your profile includes one.
In your education entry, add it under the description for your school, for example Dean's List, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025.
In an Honors and Awards section, list the title as Dean's List, the issuer as your university, and the dates you earned it.
Keep the wording identical to your resume so your LinkedIn profile and application tell the same story.
Is the Dean's List an award or honor?
The Dean's List is an academic honor rather than a traditional award.
It is a formal recognition that you reached a high grade point average in a given semester, usually a 3.5 or higher, though the exact threshold varies by school and program.
Some institutions instead recognize only the top percentage of students in each class.
This distinction matters less for your resume than you might expect, because the honor earns its place either way.
What it does affect is placement. Since the Dean's List is a recurring, semester-based recognition tied to your GPA, it reads naturally in your education section next to your grades.
If you would rather frame it as a named distinction, an Honors and Awards section presents it more like a formal accolade.
Both are correct, so let the rest of your resume guide the choice.
One point to keep in mind: the Dean's List is almost always an undergraduate recognition, so graduate students generally will not have it to include.
Key takeaways
- Put the Dean's List in your education section below your degree, or in a standalone Honors and Awards section if you have multiple distinctions to group.
- Always state how many times you earned it, such as Dean's List, 5 semesters, to show steady performance.
- Include it if you are a student or recent graduate, earned it across several terms, or attended a highly selective university.
- Leave it off once you have a few years of relevant work experience, or if you earned it only once or twice at a lesser-known school.
- The Dean's List is an academic honor tied to a high GPA, usually 3.5 or above, and is almost always an undergraduate recognition.
FAQs about putting the Dean’s List on a resume
Have more questions about listing academic honors on your resume?
Here are answers to some other commonly asked questions about this topic:
Do you put the Dean’s List on your resume?
Yes, you should include Dean’s List honors on your resume if you’re a current student or a recent graduate who earned the designation multiple times.
Is "Dean's List" capitalized on a resume?
Yes, capitalize both words as Dean's List on your resume.
It is a proper recognition, so treating it as a proper noun keeps your education section accurate and professional.
Is the Dean’s List a big deal?
Yes, the Dean's List is a respected academic honor, and how impressive it is depends on how selective your school is.
For students and recent graduates, it signals dedication and a strong work ethic to employers, which is valuable when you have little professional experience to point to yet.
What other academic honors should you put on your resume?
Other academic honors you can put on your resume include:
- A high GPA (typically 3.5 or higher)
- The President’s List
- Latin honors, such as summa cum laude or magna cum laude
- Graduation distinctions, such as valedictorian
- Scholarships
- Fellowships or grants
- Departmental or class honors
- Honor roll
Keep in mind that once you begin working, your resume should prioritize your professional achievements over your academic ones.
Usually, you can remove these academic honors from your resume after a few years in the workforce.
If you need more inspiration on how to include the Dean’s List and other academic awards on your resume, have a look at our resume samples and resume templates.
