Setting up your LinkedIn profile as a university student

LinkedIn is a professional social media platform and a valuable tool for building your personal brand. Many people begin this process after graduating from university. However, because it takes time to establish a strong presence, it's wise to start working on your LinkedIn profile early in your university journey.

With that in mind, here are some practical tips to help you create a strong LinkedIn profile as a university student.

Think of an interesting headline

Your LinkedIn headline appears right under your name at the top of your profile. In up to 220 characters, you can describe what you do, where you study, or your professional interests. This short description also appears next to your name in search results, so it should catch the reader's attention.

As a student, a good headline might be "Studying Computer Engineering at XYZ University" or "XYZ University Bachelor of Computer Engineering '27," with "27" showing your graduation year. You can make it stronger by adding your interests or career goals, such as "XYZ University Bachelor of Computer Engineering '27 | Data Science Enthusiast."

Although the headline limit is 220 characters, try to keep it under 90 characters so it's fully visible in search results.

The "About" section should elaborate on the headline

Your "About" section should be engaging but not overly long. You have a limit of 2,600 characters (around 400–600 words), but aim for about 300–350 words to keep it focused and readable.

Start with a brief introduction, then share details about the degree you're pursuing. After that, explain your ambitions, like what kind of career you want, the steps you're taking to reach that goal, and any relevant experiences or achievements.

Once you've covered your academic and career information, include a couple of sentences about your hobbies or personal interests to give your profile a well-rounded touch.

You can also highlight up to five skills in this section. Choose them carefully, as the skills you select can improve your visibility in LinkedIn search results.

Arranging your "Publications" section

As a student, this section is a great place to showcase your academic publications. If you've been published elsewhere, such as in a newspaper, you can include that here as well.

In your early university years, you may not have conference or journal papers yet, but you will likely have written research papers or reports for your courses. You can add those too, along with links. If they aren't published online, upload them to Google Drive and share the link in your profile.

Be sure to include a short summary of each paper or report, along with the purpose behind writing it, so readers can quickly understand its value.

As you move through university, you'll have new achievements to add to your LinkedIn profile, such as completed courses, publications, internships, or jobs. You may also need to update details in your headline or "About" section if your goals or interests change.