Resume template · Updated October 2026
Resume template for applicants with no college degree
Short answer
Meridian suits a resume without a college degree. It prints skills right after the summary and leaves education near the end, so eight years of hands-on IT work and three certifications are read long before anyone looks for a degree. The fictional sample is a systems administrator with a high school diploma, some community college credits and Microsoft and CompTIA certifications.
Download the no college degree sample
Jasmine is a fictional systems administrator. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Meridian suits a no college degree resume
Meridian prints skills above experience and education after projects, so for someone without a degree the evidence that matters runs from the top of the page: skills, eight years of jobs, a home lab. It is the plain default layout with grey rules, which keeps attention on the work rather than on the missing line.
Second choice: Leslie. Leslie prints experience before skills and also keeps education low on the page; choose it when your job titles alone carry the application.
What goes in each section, in Meridian's order
Meridian prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Lead with your years of experience and the credentials you do have. Meridian prints certifications at the bottom, so name the two or three that the posting asks for here, where someone checking a degree requirement will see them.
- Skills. Put the systems you run every day first, in the posting's own words. A specific skills row (Azure, Intune, PowerShell) is concrete evidence of the knowledge a degree line would otherwise stand in for.
- Work Experience. Show growth inside the jobs: a promotion, more users, a project you led. Rising responsibility over several years answers the question a degree requirement is really asking, which is whether you can do the work.
- Projects. A home lab or self-taught build shows you learn on your own, one of the main things a degree is meant to prove. Say what you built and what you used it to practise.
- Education. List your high school diploma or GED, then any college credits honestly, for example "Coursework toward A.A.S. in Network Technology, 24 credits". Never show an expected date for a degree you are not finishing.
- Certifications. Give each certification's exact name, issuer and year, newest first. If one has lapsed, renew it or take it off; an employer may check.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Jasmine Whitaker
Systems Administrator, Microsoft Azure Administrator and CompTIA Network+
Kansas City, MO | jasmine.whitaker@example.com | (816) 555-0152 | linkedin.com/in/sample-jasmine-whitaker
Systems administrator with eight years in IT support and infrastructure, from help desk to running Microsoft 365, Active Directory and Azure for a 400-person insurer. Holds the Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA A+ certifications. Looking for a systems or cloud administrator role.
Experience
Systems Administrator, Prairie Gate Insurance Group, Kansas City, MO (04/2022 to Present)
- Manage Microsoft 365, Active Directory and Intune for about 400 users across three offices.
- Moved 30 on-premises file shares to SharePoint and Azure storage and retired two ageing servers.
- Wrote PowerShell scripts that cut new-hire account setup from an afternoon to about 20 minutes.
- Run quarterly patching and backup restore tests and report the results to the IT manager.
IT Support Specialist (promoted from Help Desk Technician, 2019), Ridgeview Dental Group, Overland Park, KS (06/2018 to 03/2022)
- Resolved about 25 tickets a day by phone and on site for 14 dental clinics.
- Set up workstations, printers and VPN access for two new clinic openings.
- Wrote the troubleshooting guide clinic managers use before calling the help desk.
Projects
Home lab: hybrid Active Directory and Azure test environment: Self-built practice environment on a refurbished server and an Azure free account, 2024 to Present.
- Practised domain controller recovery and Group Policy changes before rolling them out at work.
- Used the lab to prepare for the Azure Administrator exam.
Education
Coursework toward Associate of Applied Science, Network Technology, Blue River Valley Community College (05/2017). 24 credits completed
High School Diploma, Northland Heights High School (05/2016)
Certifications
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft (2025)
- CompTIA Network+, CompTIA (2023)
- CompTIA A+, CompTIA (2021)
Skills
Active Directory and Group Policy, Microsoft 365 administration, Azure (VMs, storage, Entra ID), Backup and recovery, Networking (VLANs, DNS, DHCP), PowerShell, Intune, Veeam, ServiceNow, Explaining fixes to non-technical staff, Clear runbooks
How to make the sample yours
Read the degree line in the posting closely
"Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience" invites you to apply, so state your years plainly in the summary. "Degree required" with no alternative is a harder sell, but a close match on everything else can still be worth one application.
Put your strongest credential in the headline
The sample headline names two certifications. In other fields, a license, an apprenticeship or a trade card can do the same job.
Count the credits you earned
Partial college is still education. Give the school, the program and the credits or courses completed with dates, and leave out why you stopped.
Rebuild the sample for your own field
A sales rep without a degree would put quota results in the summary and CRM tools in skills; a tradesperson would lead with licenses and the equipment they run. The section order stays the same.
Keep recent learning on the page
A course finished this year, a certification in progress or a home lab tells a reader you keep your skills current without a classroom requiring it. Date each one.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- systems administration
- Microsoft 365
- Active Directory
- Azure
- Intune
- PowerShell
- Windows Server
- networking
- backup and recovery
- ticketing
- CompTIA Network+
- Azure Administrator Associate
- equivalent experience
Mistakes to avoid
- Listing a degree you did not finish as if you had, or adding a graduation date to unfinished credits. Degrees are among the easiest facts for an employer to verify.
- Opening with an apology ("Although I do not have a degree..."). Lead with what you have done.
- Dropping the education section altogether. An empty section leaves the question open; a diploma or GED line closes it.
- Leaving certifications only at the bottom. The template prints them last, so name the key ones in the headline or summary as well.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 6 of 6 | 9 of 9 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 6 of 6 | 9 of 9 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 6 of 6 | 9 of 9 |
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a resume without a college degree?
Open with a summary of your years and credentials, then skills, then a work history that shows growth. Keep education short and honest near the end: high school diploma or GED, plus any college credits or training programs.
Should I apply if the job says a degree is required?
If it says "or equivalent experience", yes. If not, apply when you match most of the other requirements and say in the summary how your experience covers the same ground, knowing some employers will hold to the requirement.
How do I list some college on a resume?
Write the school, the program and what you completed, for example "Coursework toward A.A.S. in Network Technology, 24 credits, 2016 to 2017". Leave off any expected date unless you are enrolled and finishing.
Do certifications count as education on a resume?
They can have their own section, as in this sample, or sit under education if a certificate program was your main training. Either way, name the most relevant ones near the top too.
Should I list my high school if I have no degree?
Yes, in one line with the school, city and year. It matters most when a posting lists a diploma or GED as a requirement.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Meridian PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 6 section headings and all 9 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
- How to List Education on a Resume, With Examples
- How to List Certifications and Licenses on a Resume
- IT Support Resume Example and Writing Guide
- Skills to Put on a Resume: Examples and How to List Them
- Technical Skills for a Resume: What Counts and How to List Them
- Resume template for a stretch job you are underqualified for
- Resume template for a career change at 30