20+ Academic CV Templates | Word, PDF, Google Docs Academic CV Formats

Academic CVs are often quite different to workplace CVs -- how can you ensure your CV stands out amongst your peers?

VisualCV has dozens of professionally designed academic CV templates sure to help you reach your next academic goal. Whether you're applying for an undergraduate degree or your next post-doc research position, you'll be able to properly showcase your academic achievements using these academic CV templates!

Best Academic CV Format

Academic CVs require unique templates, focusing on academic background, academic positions, accomplishments, education, research, and publications rather than work history, as hiring committees prefer.

You should still use a reverse-chronological format when preparing your academic curriculum vitae - in each section (awards, publications, bursaries, etc.) begin with the most recent and work backwards. This ensures that hiring managers, boards, and other institutions are able to see your most recent and relevant qualifications quickly and easily.

Academic CV: File Format Considerations

Choose the right file format for your CV to ensure compatibility and easy access. PDF is generally preferred as it preserves the formatting and is universally accessible across different devices and operating systems. Alternatively, Microsoft Word or Google Docs formats can be useful if you anticipate needing to make frequent updates or if the application specifically requests a Word document. Ensure the file name is professional, typically including your name and the term "Curriculum Vitae" (e.g., "John_Doe_Curriculum_Vitae.pdf").

Academic CV Template #1

Air: The Air academic curriculum vitae template seamlessly combines traditional and modern elements with its subtle coloring and timeline-like design.

This academic CV template can be downloaded in Word or PDF format and is easily editable in Google Docs, perfect for tailoring to graduate school applications.

Academic CV Template #2

Arya: The Arya academic curriculum vitae template offers a sleek and stylish design, guaranteed to attract the attention of potential employers. With right-aligned titles and a tasteful utilization of white space, this template is perfect for individuals in search of a clean and straightforward CV to showcase their skills and experience.

Designed for flexibility, this template can be downloaded in Microsoft Word or PDF format, and is editable in Google Docs, offering more examples of professional CV layouts.

Academic CV Template #3

ATS: Ideal for online applications utilizing an applicant tracking system (ATS), this straightforward academic CV template features a sleek design and clear presentation, ensuring excellent readability and efficient CV parsing.

Download this template in Word or PDF, or edit it directly in Google Docs to customize your CV for academic positions or other professional roles.

Academic CV Template #4

Chloe: The Chloe academic curriculum vitae template, with its two elegant columns and customizable color, strikes a balance between being eye-catching and tasteful.

This template is available in Word and PDF formats, with easy Google Docs editing, ensuring your CV is ready for any job application or academic need.

Academic CV Template #5

Clair: The Clair academic curriculum vitae template, featuring scroll-like job titles, customizable color, and a simple design, is ideal for job-seekers aiming to leave a lasting impression.

Seamlessly editable in Google Docs and downloadable in Word or PDF formats, this template is ideal for highlighting your achievements and relevant professional experience.

Academic CV Template #6

Corporate: The Corporate academic curriculum vitae template employs a clear design and classic structure to effectively showcase your skills and experience. It is an excellent choice for both new job seekers and experienced professionals.

Downloadable in Word or PDF and editable in Google Docs, this template helps you create a professional CV with a sleek design that stands out.

Academic CV Template #7

Modern: Stand out with the Modern academic CV template, featuring two distinct columns and a prominent profile image. Customize the color to infuse your unique style into this template.

This versatile template, available in Word and PDF, and editable in Google Docs, is designed to showcase your teaching experience effectively.

Academic CV Template #8

Monaco: While the Monaco academic CV template maintains a traditional design, the customizable color of the headings adds a unique modern flourish to it.

Available in Word and PDF formats, and editable in Google Docs, this template offers a streamlined approach for presenting your language skills and qualifications.

Academic CV Template #9

Monte: The Monte academic CV template is both simple and professional, catering to job-seekers seeking a traditional CV format. Regardless of your industry, this classic template is sure to make a lasting impression.

Download this template in Word or PDF format or edit it in Google Docs to highlight your achievements and prepare a compelling academic CV.

Academic CV Template #10

Nevis: The Nevis academic CV template, with its subtle highlights, clear structure, and two-column format, is an excellent choice for job-seekers aiming to impress their next employer.

Easily editable in Google Docs and downloadable in Word or PDF, this template is ideal for faculty members seeking the right cv format.

Academic CV Template #11

Oak: Ideal for newcomers and experienced academics alike, the Oak academic CV template showcases powerful, solid blocks of color and two differently sized columns, catering to skills and experience in any field.

Academic CV Template #12

Quartz: The Quartz academic CV template, with its two columns, professional colors, and optional logo, is ideal for various applications such as job applications, personal websites, and professional profiles.

Academic CV Template #13

Rosa: Rosa, an academic CV template, offers versatility by allowing you to choose between a background image or a simple splash of color, making it suitable for any field.

Academic CV Template #14

Slate: The Slate academic CV template is a simple and efficient two-column template which enables the creation of attractive one-page CVs that maintain a clean and uncluttered appearance.

Academic CV Template #15

Standard: In our most traditional academic CV template, the Standard format demonstrates that your CV doesn't need to be flashy to stand out. Its tasteful lettering and simple presentation make it an effective choice for any situation.

Academic CV Template #16

Vida: The Vida academic CV template, featuring two even columns and color customization options, is an excellent choice for showcasing your skills and experience in an efficient and stylish manner.

Academic CV Template #17

Vienna: The Vienna academic CV template is a clean and uncluttered option that supports two columns of CV content and offers subtle color customization.

Academic CV Template #18

Baker: The Baker academic CV template stands out with its timeline-like Work History section and subtle colors, making it a stylish choice for any academic.

Academic CV Template #19

Quartz: The Quartz academic CV template, with its two columns, professional colors, and optional logo, proves to be ideal for any position in academia.

Academic CV Template #20

Avant: The Avant academic CV template, a modern and professional option, includes a full column of customizable color. It serves as a great format for academics aiming to inject some character into their CV.

Academic CV Template Tips

Emphasize Your Education: Place a strong emphasis on your educational background. List your degrees, institutions, majors, graduation dates, and any relevant honors or awards.

Highlight Research Experience: Clearly detail your research experience, focusing on the projects that are most relevant to the position or program you're applying for. Highlight your contributions, methodologies, and outcomes.

Showcase Publications and Presentations: Feature your publications, conference presentations, and any other scholarly works. Use a consistent citation style and provide enough detail for the reader to understand the significance of your contributions.

Quantify Your Achievements: Whenever possible, use quantifiable metrics to demonstrate the impact of your research, teaching, or other accomplishments. This could include the number of publications, citation counts, or the impact factor of journals where you've published.

Highlight Teaching Experience: If applicable, showcase your teaching experience. Include information about the courses you've taught, your role (instructor, teaching assistant), and any innovations or improvements you made to the curriculum.

Important Sections of Your Academic CV Template

Education

List your academic degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. Include the institution's name, location, degree earned, major or field of study, graduation date (or expected graduation date), and any honors or awards.

Research Interests

Briefly outline your primary areas of research interest. This section helps to convey your academic focus to potential employers or collaborators.

Research Experience

Provide details about your research experience, including the title of the research project, the name of the advisor or principal investigator, the duration of the project, and a brief description of your responsibilities and contributions.

Publications

List your publications, including journal articles, conference papers, books, book chapters, and any other scholarly works. Include the full citation in a consistent format, such as APA or MLA.

Conference Presentations

Highlight any conferences where you have presented your research. Include the title of the presentation, the conference name, date, and location.

Teaching Experience

Detail your teaching experience, including the courses you've taught, the institutions where you taught, your role (e.g., instructor, teaching assistant), and any innovative teaching methods or technologies you utilized.

Grants and Fellowships

If applicable, list any grants, fellowships, or awards you have received to support your research or academic pursuits. Include the name of the funding source, the project title, and the amount received.

Professional Memberships

Mention any professional organizations or societies to which you belong. This demonstrates your engagement with the academic community.

Academic CV Tips for Graduate Students

1. Highlight Academic Background - Showcase your degrees, institutions, and relevant coursework to establish your foundational expertise.
2. Focus on Research Experience - Emphasize research projects, methodologies, and any publications or presentations to demonstrate scholarly activity.
3. Include Teaching and Academic Roles - Briefly outline roles like teaching assistantships, emphasizing responsibilities and contributions.
4. Quantify Achievements - Use numbers (e.g., publications, presentations) to give a clear picture of your accomplishments.
5. Use a Clear Format - Stick to a professional layout with reverse chronological order to enhance readability and impact.