What is your highest education?
Highest education is a sorting field. The employer wants the highest level you completed, and sometimes the school and the field. It is a fact about a credential, not a story about potential.
What the employer is checking
They are checking a stated requirement, and that the credential is real and finished. Forms often match the level you select to a line on the job. Selecting a higher level so that match succeeds falls apart when the resume, a transcript, or a background check disagrees.
How to answer honestly
Select the highest level you finished. If you are partway through a degree, the finished level is the earlier one, and you can name the program in progress in a text field if there is one. Use the school's name for the credential. Do not turn a certificate, a short course, or a license into a degree. A license belongs where they ask for licenses.
A short example
These are shapes, not answers from a real applicant. Use the stronger one only where every detail is true for you.
Good. My highest completed education is a bachelor's degree, which I finished. I started a further program and did not complete it, so I am not selecting the higher level.
Bad. I am selecting a master's level because the job prefers it and I took a few courses toward one. I will explain if anyone asks.
Pitfalls
- Choosing a degree you are still in as if you had finished it.
- A school, a field of study, or a finish time that does not match the resume.
- An expected graduation you are not enrolled for, or a credential that is not yours.
How ApplyASAP answers it
ApplyASAP uses the education level you provided. It does not promote a certificate to a degree, and it never invents a school, a field of study, or a graduation to clear a requirement.
ApplyASAP drafts answers from your real resume and never invents experience. It does not change your employers, dates, degrees, or titles, and it does not invent a number, a certification, or a person you managed.
Guides that support this answer
Resume tips are where the longer proof for this answer lives. The roles below are close to that proof. Reading a posting, tailoring, and follow-up live in the job search guides.
Questions
- What if they ask for a field of study I did not have?
- Leave it blank or choose the true one. Do not borrow a field from the posting.
- Do I list high school and a later degree?
- This field wants the highest level you finished. Earlier schooling can stay on the resume when it still matters, which is uncommon once a later degree is done.