KEY POINTS:
The proliferation of school qualifications has forced Auckland University to drop restrictions on first-year law courses, because of difficulties comparing students' abilities.
The change is expected to more than double the number of students taking the two law papers - from 600 to about 1300.
Deputy vice-chancellor Raewyn Dalziel said the cut-off of numbers would now occur for entry into the second year, based on students' first-year grades.
"We used to get students coming through with bursary and that was easy to deal with. Now there are far more qualifications, some not well established, and that has made selection harder."
The number of students with different qualifications has increased as many of the main feeder schools for the university opt for international qualifications such as Cambridge International Examinations or the International Baccalaureate.
Ms Dalziel said the change was not prompted by any difficulty in weighing up the differing credits of NCEA students.
"It's more how do you weigh up students with NCEA versus Cambridge or International Baccalaureate or against a seventh-form qualification from overseas?
"We felt if it was restricted from the end of first year, it would put everyone on a level footing."
Second-year law papers remain restricted to 300 students, who would continue to be selected on their first-year grades.
National Party education spokeswoman Katherine Rich said it was an increasing problem for universities.
"There is concern there has been such a growth in alternative examinations. But some schools are forced into that because they had concerns NCEA wasn't tailored to the top academic students. I think we have to accept that message."
Since NCEA was introduced, 45 schools have adopted the Cambridge examinations. About half - including Auckland Grammar, Kings College, Macleans College and Westlake Boys' High School - are in Auckland.
The university gets just over 60 per cent of its students from 20 of Auckland's 65 secondary schools.
At Auckland Grammar and Macleans College, 60 per cent of students sit the Cambridge exams.
College principal Byron Bentley said the number increased each year.
"It has built up rapidly. In the first years we were guarded about it and then we realised we were being overprotective and good, hard-working students could handle it."
Grammar headmaster John Morris said 95 per cent of his students who took Cambridge advanced to university, compared with about 77 per cent of NCEA students who went on to university or polytechnic.
The Ministry of Education said it was a matter of school choice whether to offer a separate qualification but all state schools had to offer NCEA as well.
The international exams are not part of the state qualification system and are not nationally recognised, although all local universities accept Cambridge and International Baccalaureate for entry.
Some private schools, including Senior College and Pinehurst in Albany, are forgoing NCEA entirely and using only Cambridge.
The number of schools opting for the International Baccalaureate Diploma at years 12 and 13 is also increasing.
