Photo and Date of Birth on a Grad School CV?
Leave the photo, date of birth and marital status off a CV for US grad school. What US universities and Fulbright Colombia say, and a constructed rewrite.
Photo and Date of Birth on a Grad School CV?
No. For a US graduate application, leave the photo, date of birth and marital status off your CV. Pomona College's career office tells international students: "Do not include your photograph on the résumé" and "Do not include your age/birth date, marital status, race, religion, or visa status." Fulbright Colombia, which sends Colombians to US master's programs, says the CV "no debe incluir ninguna foto de la persona".
The Europass builder suggests a photo, and local templates such as the Spanish one in the constructed example below add a birth date, nationality and marital status. If you reuse that CV for the US, those lines take space no US reader asked for. This page shows what US universities say, a field-by-field table of what to delete and what to add, when to keep a second European version, and a constructed rewrite of the top of a Spanish-format CV. The CV supports your statement of purpose, so when the statement is ready, open the graduate SOP review and choose the MS SOP rubric.
Every university and commission page quoted below was checked on October 31, 2026.
The answer: leave them off for US programs
| Source | What it says | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Pomona College, U.S. résumé tips for international students | "Do not include your age/birth date, marital status, race, religion, or visa status." "Do not include your photograph on the résumé." | US career office, résumés |
| Northwestern University Career Advancement, international students | "International CVs may also be more personal than a typical U.S. CV or resume; including date of birth and marital status. This information should not be included on a U.S. CV or resume." | US career office, CVs and résumés |
| Colorado State University Career Center, international resume and CV trends | US CV: "Often used when applying for academic, research, and scientific positions"; "Does not include personal information such as age, geographical preference, relationship status, or religion"; "Does not include photo" | US career office, academic CVs |
| Duke University Graduate School, Resume / C.V. | The CV "should summarize your education, academic achievements, work history, and professional accomplishments. It may also include a list of skills, publications, research experiences, and other credentials that demonstrate your preparedness for graduate study." | US graduate admissions |
| Fulbright Colombia, J. William Fulbright master's grant terms, cohort 2027 | CV "Debe estar escrito en inglés en máximo 4 páginas. No se exige un formato especial y no debe incluir ninguna foto de la persona." | Commission for US master's study |
| European University Institute, economics PhD applicants | "One or two-page CV. You are encouraged not to include any pictures in your CV." | European PhD program, for contrast |
Converting an Indian placement resume? See the MS resume format for B.Tech freshers.
Read the scope column. The career offices write mainly for job applications, and Northwestern's page explains its rule in employment terms ("It is illegal in the U.S. for a potential employer to ask about your personal life"). The graduate admissions page in the table, Duke's, does not mention personal details at all. It lists what the CV is for: education, achievements, work, publications, research. Nothing in that list needs your birth date.
Our view: treat the US career-office rule as the rule for your grad school CV too, and spend the space on research and methods. The basis: the US guidance above is consistent, the one admissions page lists only academic content, and Fulbright Colombia, which places applicants in US programs, bans the photo outright.
The countercase: some European programs and templates ask for these fields; our CV for a master's in Germany guide quotes the German rules on photos and dates of birth. If your list mixes US and German programs, keep two versions. Never send the German one to a US program.
Europass and local CVs vs the US academic CV
The European Commission's Europass CV builder tips say to "add a professional photograph of yourself". That advice is written for job applications in Europe. Here is what to change for a US graduate CV:
| Field on a Europass or local CV | US graduate CV | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Delete | Pomona, CSU and Fulbright Colombia, above |
| Date of birth, age | Delete | Pomona, Northwestern, CSU |
| Marital status, children | Delete | Pomona, Northwestern, CSU |
| Nationality, ID number, sex | Delete (our recommendation) | Not academic content, and none of the US guidance above lists it |
| Full postal address | City and country, email, phone (our recommendation) | Saves two lines |
| Self-rated skill bars, "About me" | Delete; list tools with what you did with them | Duke asks for "credentials that demonstrate your preparedness" |
| Signature, declaration, place and date | Delete (our recommendation) | A CV is not a signed form in a US application |
| (missing) Research, thesis | Add near the top | Duke lists "research experiences" and "publications" |
Our CV for grad school application guide covers section order and what US programs ask for. This page covers only what to remove from a European or Latin American template.
When Europe asks for Europass
Some European programs want the Europass format specifically, and Erasmus Mundus consortia set their own CV rules. Our Europass CV for a master's application guide compares 12 programme pages, and the Erasmus Mundus motivation letter guide covers consortium rules. Use the Europass layout where a program asks for it, and keep your US version separate.
Degree names, grades and the thesis line
Three lines on a Spanish, Italian or Latin American CV need care for a US reader:
- Degree name. Write it as the diploma prints it, then a plain English description once: "Grado en Ingeniería Informática (four-year bachelor's degree)". Do not rename it "B.S." Our five-year degree name on a CV and SOP guide covers laurea magistrale, Diplom and licenciatura.
- Grades. Give the number and the scale your transcript states ("8.6/10"). Do not add a US GPA. See converting foreign grades for US grad school.
- Thesis. One line with the title, supervisor and grade, then one line on the method and result. A US reader wants this near the top, not under "Other".
Constructed example: the top of a Spanish-format CV, converted
Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's CV. Context (invented): Lucía Fernández, a Spanish computer engineering graduate applying to US MS programs.
Before (the top of a local template):
[photo] Lucía Fernández García · Fecha de nacimiento: 12/05/2002 · Nacionalidad: española · Estado civil: soltera · DNI 00000000-X · Calle Mayor 14, 3º B, 28013 Madrid
Perfil personal. Persona responsable, proactiva y con capacidad de trabajo en equipo.
Formación académica. 2020–2024 Grado en Ingeniería Informática, Universidad (Madrid).
After (US graduate CV, in English):
Lucía Fernández García · Madrid, Spain · lucia.fernandez@example.com · +34 600 000 000
Education. Grado en Ingeniería Informática (four-year bachelor's degree), a public university in Madrid, 2020–2024. Average 8.6/10. Bachelor's thesis: "Detecting anomalies in metro ridership data with graph neural networks", supervised by Dr. A. Ruiz, grade 9.5/10. Built the data pipeline from turnstile records and compared two graph models against a seasonal baseline.
Research. Undergraduate research assistant, data systems group, 2023–2024: cleaned and documented a public transport dataset used in two course projects.
What changed. The photo, birth date, nationality, marital status, ID number and street address are gone. The self-description is gone, because it is a claim with no evidence. The degree keeps its Spanish name with one plain description. The thesis moved up and gained a line on what Lucía did. Every name, grade and project is invented.
Checklist before you upload a CV to a US program
- No photo, date of birth, age, marital status or children.
- No nationality, ID number or sex (our recommendation).
- No signature, declaration or "About me" paragraph.
- Degree name as printed, with one plain English description.
- Grades on the transcript's own scale.
- Thesis and research near the top, with your role.
- In English, as Fulbright Colombia also requires for its applicants.
- A separate European version if any program on your list asks for Europass, a photo or a date of birth.
Questions about personal details on a CV
Is it rude to leave out the photo if my country expects one?
No. The US guidance in the table above says to leave it out, and Fulbright Colombia forbids it for the CVs of its US-bound applicants.
Should I list my nationality to show I am an international student?
Our recommendation is no. Your degree and university already show where you studied, and none of the US guidance above lists nationality as CV content.
What if a US program's form asks for a photo?
Follow that program's own instruction for that field. The answer on this page is about the CV document.
Does this apply to a PhD CV?
Yes. Colorado State's table applies the same rule to the US academic CV, which it describes as "Often used when applying for academic, research, and scientific positions".
Get a free review of your statement of purpose
Get a free Quick Review of your statement of purpose against GradPilot's MS SOP rubric. Your CV backs the claims in that statement, so review the statement: the rubric reads your interests, preparation, goals and program fit, and whether your experiences support your plans. Applying to a PhD? Use the PhD statement of purpose rubric, or the Research Dossier read if the program reads your statement as a research record.
More guides for European and Latin American applicants:
- SOP for US masters from Brazil: degree, TCC and grades.
- US PhD statement of purpose for European applicants: the US statement vs a European position letter.
- SOP mistakes Spanish and Portuguese speakers make: false friends and register.
- All graduate school essays guides.
Sources
Retrieved October 31, 2026, except where noted.
- Pomona College Career Development Office, U.S. Résumé Tips for International Students (no year stated): personal details and photo.
- Northwestern University Career Advancement, Marketing yourself: international students (no year stated): personal details on CVs.
- Colorado State University Career Center, International Students Resume & CV Trends (PDF dated August 2022 in its URL): US CV norms.
- Duke University Graduate School, Resume / C.V. (current page): CV content for admission.
- Fulbright Colombia, Beca J. William Fulbright, terms of reference, cohort 2027 (version 2, March 4, 2026; call closed May 15, 2026): CV rules.
- European University Institute, Doctoral Programme in Economics: information for applicants (2027–28 call): CV picture rule.
- European Commission, Create your Europass CV (no year stated): photo tip.
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