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How to Put an Expected Graduation Date on a Resume

Put it on your degree line in the education section: the word "Expected", then the month and year, as in "Expected May 2027". The word matters, because a bare date reads as a degree you already hold. Change the date as soon as your timeline changes.

  • Education section
  • Month and year
  • Say "Expected"

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College student

Education

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science | Expected May 2027

GPA: 3.5/4.0

Relevant Coursework: Data Structures, Algorithms, Database Systems

The date sits where a finished degree's date would, with "Expected" in front. No start date and no "Present".

Graduate student with a finished bachelor's

Education

Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Master of Public Health, Epidemiology | Expected May 2027

University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Bachelor of Science in Public Health | May 2024

The degree in progress goes first. The finished degree keeps its plain date, so the reader can tell the two apart at a glance.

High school student

Education

Roosevelt High School, Des Moines, IA

High School Diploma | Expected June 2027

GPA: 3.8/4.0 | National Honor Society

For part-time and summer jobs, the date tells an employer when you could work full time.

Rules for an expected graduation date

  • Put it on the degree line or the line right under it, in your education section.
  • Write the month and year with "Expected" or "Anticipated" in front. Pick one word and use it for every degree in progress.
  • Use the date you will actually finish. If you are not sure, use the most realistic estimate and check it against your degree audit.
  • Match the date format in the rest of your resume. If Experience says "Aug 2025", write "Expected May 2027", not "05/2027".
  • When the degree is conferred, delete "Expected". If your date moves, change it before your next application.

Common mistakes with expected graduation dates

  • A bare date for a degree you do not have yet

    "B.S. in Computer Science | May 2027" reads as finished. Add "Expected" so no one thinks you claimed a degree early.

  • Showing your start date instead

    "2023 – Present" makes the reader do the math. Employers want the finish date: "Expected May 2027".

  • An expected date that has already passed

    If May came and went, the resume now raises a question. Update it to the new date, or to the conferral date if you finished.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to write "Expected"?+

No, but use it. UC Santa Barbara calls it optional; San Jose State's iSchool says not to list an end date as if earned. The word costs nothing and removes any doubt.

Can I write "Spring 2027" instead of a month?+

Both appear in career center samples: UC Davis uses "Spring 2026", while UC Santa Barbara says always give the month. Use the month. Internship postings set eligibility by month, such as Spectrum's 2027 summer roles asking for graduation between December 2027 and May 2028.

What if I'm not sure when I'll graduate?+

Use your most realistic estimate based on the credits you have left, and update it when the plan changes. You do not need to explain the timing on the resume; that can come up in an interview.

Should a first-year student include an expected graduation date?+

Yes. Many internship postings are open only to certain graduating classes, and the date is how a recruiter checks that. Indiana University's sample for an exploratory major lists May 2028.

Sources

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