Qualification Points in the EOI: How Education Level Is Scored

What are qualification points in the EOI?

In the SkillSelect EOI points system, level of education is one of the scored categories. Qualification points reflect the level of formal education you have completed, and — more importantly — that qualification must be confirmed through a formal skills assessment carried out by a body recognised by the Department.

This is an important distinction: not just any qualification is recognised. The qualification must be considered as part of the skills assessment, and the assessment result must confirm that the qualification is suitable for the occupation you nominate in your EOI.

The detailed qualification points table

The Department applies three points levels for the qualification category:

Doctoral degree — 20 points

A doctoral degree (a PhD) earns the highest score in this category: 20 points. The condition is that the doctoral degree must be recognised by the skills assessing authority as suitable for the occupation in the EOI.

This is a high score but one that few people reach, as not every occupation commonly involves a doctorate, and completing a PhD usually adds 3–4 years to a study journey.

Bachelor degree or above — 15 points

A bachelor degree, a master’s degree, or any degree at bachelor level or above (but below a doctorate) earns 15 points. This is the most common level, as the great majority of skilled migration candidates hold a bachelor degree.

Note: a master’s degree does not earn more points than a bachelor degree in the EOI system — both sit at 15 points. The difference only begins at the doctoral level (20 points).

Diploma or trade qualification — 10 points

A diploma, advanced diploma, associate degree or trade qualification earns 10 points. This is the lowest level in the qualification category.

Many technical occupations (such as electricians, welders and mechanics) fall into this group, because a trade qualification is the standard of the industry, not a bachelor degree.

The relationship between qualifications and the skills assessment

Qualification points in the EOI cannot be self-claimed independently — they must be tied to a formal skills assessment result. Specifically:

When you lodge a skills assessment application with an assessing authority (for example, Engineers Australia for engineers, VETASSESS for many other occupations, ACS for IT), that authority will consider your qualification as part of the assessment. The assessment result will determine:

Whether you are qualified to perform that occupation.
What level your qualification is equivalent to under Australian standards.

Only when the assessing authority recognises your qualification as equivalent to a certain level (doctorate, bachelor, diploma, etc.) will the Department accept qualification points at that level in your EOI.

Many people worry when their bachelor degree does not entirely match the occupation they work in. This is quite common, particularly in IT and business.

In this case, the assessing authority will look at the whole picture: the qualification combined with actual work experience. If the assessment result is still positive (you are recognised to perform that occupation), your bachelor degree still earns 15 points — even if it is not a directly related field of study.

Strategy relating to qualification points

Few people can change their qualification quickly to gain points. However, there are a few things worth noting:

If you are studying a master’s degree in Australia, completing it before lodging your EOI will not increase your qualification points (a master’s is also only 15 points, like a bachelor), but it may earn Australian study points if you study in a regional area.
If you are in a doctoral program, the timing of completion relative to lodging your EOI matters — you need a skills assessment result that records the doctoral degree before you can claim 20 points.
Make sure your skills assessment result is still valid (usually 3 years) at the time you lodge your EOI and when you receive the ITA.