[petri]

NZ doesn't pre-qualify any finnish universities and we sent the details to NZQA for pre-assessment. We got a prompt response quite fast and they are giving it a level 8 (Postgraduate diplomas and certificates, bachelors degrees with honours).

However she has master's degree (level 9).

If it was my degree I'd feel insulted by NZQA's pre-assessment ;-)

With <145 EOI points every point counts for selection so I wonder what is the right procedure to try to get it fixed? They seem to have got the levels right for Sweden which has very similar system to ours..

We are also sending in an Investor EOI so doing a full assessment before being invited to apply doesn't make much sense, I think.

[Duncan74]

Are you sure that there is a points difference? Where is the 50/55 point cut off?

[petri]

Are you sure that there is a points difference? Where is the 50/55 point cut off?

Right there between level 8 and 9.

[Duncan74]

Ahhh. I'm in the middle of getting two UK Masters assessed (full) so will see what happens there. Funny you say that you'd be offended, as that was the reason that NZQA gave me from removing the 'default' Level 8 award for UK Masters from the exempt list when they updated in late May.

[ExitStageSouth]

Considering the current EOI selections, I doubt you need to worry about losing a few points. If you look here (http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/generalinformation/news/eoiselection.htm) you'll see that people are being selected from quite low scoring categories.

[petri]

Funny you say that you'd be offended

I know how much effort it can be to get the master degree ;-)

It seems that the problem is that NZQA and perhaps other similar organizations don't quite understand the finnish university system; Barchelor's degrees are relatively new at universities (for example when I enrolled to the Helsinki University of Technology, MSc was the minimum degree to study) and a lot of people go directly for the master's degree that can be theoretically done in 5 years (NZQA's view is 3+3 years).

Looking at the assessments for swedish degrees it seems that if NZQA would take a closer look at the finnish degrees, the levels could get fixed. The ECTS, European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, is supposed to help to put european degrees on the same line.

[Duncan74]

Hey, you get no sympathy from here as they have totally missed that for Enineering degrees then you can do a straight 4 year MEng. I wouldn't hare if they only gave it a Level 7, but as it is I've 2 MScs and get no points, but a Batchelors would get 50! ;)