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How to Prepare a Scholarship CV

This guide is part of the Scholarz Application Series. If you came here from ApplyMate while preparing for a scholarship application — read this before you open Word or Google Docs.

A scholarship CV is not a job CV. That distinction matters more than anything else in this guide, so let's sit with it for a moment.

A job CV sells your professional value to an employer. A scholarship CV tells an academic committee a story — who you are, how your mind works, what you've done with your time and your circumstances, and what kind of person they'd be investing in. Same format, completely different job.

Most students either submit a bare-bones one-pager that undersells them completely, or they grab a flashy template from the internet and fill it with anything they can find to look impressive. Both approaches fail. This guide is going to show you what actually works.

Before You Start: The Most Important Shift in How You Think About This

If you went to a government school in Zimbabwe — and most students reading this did — you may have started the CV-building process convinced you have nothing to put on it. No internships. No formal work experience. No international competitions. No research publications.

Stop. That framing is wrong, and it will make your CV worse than it needs to be.

A scholarship CV values a completely different set of things from a corporate job application: academic achievement, yes, but also leadership in any form, community involvement, evidence of self-direction and initiative, skills developed outside the classroom, and the ability to contribute to something beyond yourself. Most Zimbabwean students have more of this than they realize — they just haven't named it correctly.

Tutoring your neighbour's children for free? That's academic mentorship and community service. Running the school tuck shop or helping organize the sports day? That's leadership and event coordination. Teaching yourself coding or design from YouTube? That's self-directed learning and technical skill development. Translating for your parents or community members in formal settings? That is communication and cultural competency.

Don't dismiss what you've done because it didn't come with a certificate. The point of this guide is to help you name it properly.

What Goes Into a Scholarship CV — Section by Section

1. Personal Information

Keep this clean and minimal. Full name, email address, phone number, city and country. That's it. No photos unless the scholarship explicitly asks for one. No ID numbers. No marital status. No date of birth unless required. Those details belong on an application form, not a CV.

Your email address matters more than you think. coolkid2008@gmail.com undermines you before the committee reads a single line. Create a professional email — firstnamelastname@gmail.com, or a variation — specifically for scholarship and university applications, and use it consistently.

2. Personal Statement or Profile (Optional but Powerful)

Some scholarship CVs include a brief profile at the top — two to four sentences that summarize who you are academically and professionally, and what you're working toward. Think of it as the headline for everything below.

If you include it, make it specific. "A Form 6 student with a strong background in Mathematics and Physics, interested in renewable energy systems and their application in rural electrification" is a profile. "A motivated and hardworking student seeking opportunities to develop my skills" is not — it says nothing.

3. Education

List your most recent qualifications first, then work backwards. For most students applying for A-Level or undergraduate scholarships, this means:

  • Your current school and form level (or most recent qualification if you've finished)
  • Your O-Level results — list the subject and grade for each, especially if the grades are strong
  • Your primary school, if you won prizes or achieved anything notable there

If you are still awaiting results, write "Anticipated [month/year]" next to that qualification. Don't leave it vague.

For any additional courses, online certifications, or training programmes — Google certificates, Coursera, Khan Academy achievements, free coding bootcamps — list them here under a sub-heading like "Additional Training" or include them in their own section. These matter, especially for tech-related fields, and they signal self-direction.

4. Academic Achievements and Awards

This is separate from your qualifications. List prizes, scholarships already received (even small ones), recognition from teachers or institutions, competitions you've placed in, subject prizes, head of class distinctions. Be specific: "First Place, Zonal Mathematics Olympiad, 2024" is strong. "Good at maths" is not a CV item.

If you've received a bursary or small scholarship before, include it. It proves you've already been assessed and selected by others — that's social proof.

5. Leadership and Extracurricular Activities

This section is where Zimbabwean students often leave the most value on the table. Think beyond "prefect" and "head boy/girl." Consider:

  • Any club you participated in — and whether you had any organizing or leadership role, even informally
  • Sports teams, especially captaincy or coaching younger students
  • Church, mosque, or community youth groups where you led, organized, or volunteered
  • School events you helped coordinate — prize-giving, sports day, fundraisers
  • Peer teaching or tutoring, formal or informal
  • Any role in student governance or student council

For each item, write a brief description — one line is enough — that mentions what you did, not just what you were. Not: "Member, Science Club." But: "Member, Science Club — organized three community science demonstrations for primary school students." That extra line is what separates a list from evidence.

6. Community Service and Volunteer Work

Even one experience here strengthens your application significantly, because it shows the committee you think beyond yourself. And many Zimbabwean students have done more of this than they've ever framed as "volunteer work."

Did you help clean your neighbourhood? Volunteer at church? Help younger students prepare for exams? Participate in a school-organized community day? All of this counts. Name it. Date it. Describe it briefly.

7. Skills

Keep this section honest and specific. Split it into a few clear categories:

  • Languages: List every language you speak and your level — don't undersell Shona, Ndebele, or other local languages. For international scholarships, language ability is genuinely valuable.
  • Technical/Computer Skills: Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, coding languages if any, graphic design tools, data tools. Be honest about your level — basic, intermediate, proficient.
  • Other skills: Driving licence, first aid training, photography, any skill you've developed intentionally.

Don't list "communication" and "teamwork" as skills — these are expected of everyone and fill space without adding value.

8. References

Include two references: ideally one academic (a teacher who knows your work deeply) and one character reference (a community leader, pastor, employer, or other trusted adult). List their name, title, institution, phone number, and email.

Always ask them first. A reference who is surprised by your application is a reference who gives a thin, unprepared response. Brief them on which scholarship you're applying for and what qualities matter most. A prepared referee writes a better reference.

Formatting: What Actually Looks Professional

The single best formatting decision you can make is to keep it clean. Here's what that means in practice:

  • One or two pages maximum for most scholarships. Three pages only for research fellowships or postgraduate applications with extensive publications or projects.
  • Clear, readable font — Calibri, Arial, or Georgia at 11 or 12pt. No decorative fonts. No cursive.
  • Consistent formatting throughout — if you bold your job titles, bold all your titles. If you italicize dates, italicize all dates.
  • Clear section headings in bold or slightly larger font. White space between sections so the eye can rest.
  • No photos, graphics, or color unless the scholarship specifically asks. A clean black-and-white text CV reads as confident and professional. An over-designed one reads as trying too hard.
  • Save and submit as PDF. Not .docx. Not .pages. PDF. It preserves your formatting exactly across every device.

If you don't have access to Microsoft Word, Google Docs works perfectly. The scholarship will not know or care. What matters is the content, the clarity, and the PDF.

Tailoring Your CV for Different Applications

A common mistake is building one CV and submitting it everywhere unchanged. Like the motivation letter, your CV should be adjusted for each scholarship — not completely rewritten, but prioritized differently.

Applying for a science fellowship? Bring your science prizes, your relevant projects, your technical skills to the top. Applying for a leadership scholarship? Your community service, your prefect role, and your club leadership move to the front. Applying for an arts or humanities programme? Your reading, writing, cultural activities, and relevant extracurriculars become the headline.

The same life produces different CVs depending on what the committee is looking for. Understand what they value, then arrange your story accordingly.

The Things That Quietly Hurt Applications

A few patterns we see regularly that cost students:

  • Typos and inconsistent formatting. A motivation letter with one typo is forgivable. A CV with multiple errors signals that the applicant didn't care enough to proofread. Ask someone else to read it before you submit — ideally someone with strong written English.
  • Vague dates. "Recently" or "last year" on a CV is not a date. Write the actual year, or month and year if you have it.
  • Overstating or inflating. "Led a team of 50 students" when you were one of three organizers. Committees ask referees questions. Inconsistencies destroy credibility.
  • Underselling. The opposite problem — and more common among students from humble backgrounds who feel awkward claiming their achievements. If you did it, it goes in the CV. Described accurately, without exaggeration, but without minimizing either.

One More Thing

Your CV is a living document. Add to it every time something significant happens — a prize, a new skill, a volunteer day, a course completion. Keep a running document that you update throughout the year, and draw from it whenever you need to tailor an application.

The students who win multiple scholarships over their academic career aren't necessarily the most talented ones. They're the ones who stayed ready — who had their documents in order, their story articulated, their referees briefed — when the right opportunity appeared.

Now go build the document that tells your story properly.

Want to put this CV to work?
Browse active scholarship listings at ApplyMate — updated regularly with verified deadlines. And if you're working on your written application at the same time, read our companion guide: How to Write a Scholarship Motivation Letter.

Questions about a specific section of your CV? Drop them in any of our social platforms with icons below. Specific problems get specific answers.