Why am I not eligible to apply for most of the jobs?

I suspect that it is because many jobs are posted as eligible only for guru or guru vendor. As both a provider and client on guru I find that silly. I have one paid profile and one basic profile. The two categories have some overlap. I refer the prospective client to my paid profile to see feedback etc. The "basic" profile covers work that is largely entry level in my profession; even the "Guru/Guru Vendor Only" projects are at or near entry level.

I never post a project limiting who can apply unless it is invitation only.

Hey Eileen,

I think William's hit the nail on the head. Jobs can be limited to people with payed accounts, because they want to get more money out of you by encouraging you to upgrade away from your free account, basically. That's not the justification, but it's certainly the motive. Keep in mind this site is a business, and their job (just like yours as a freelancer) is to pay the bills!

I did a bit of research to see if the upgrade was worth it, and as far as I could tell from various forum and blog posts (at least for writers) the vast majority of people who paid for a membership did not see an increase in income from the site sufficient to cover the cost.

Thank you very much Connor Rickett. I was in a situation to pay or not to pay the upgrade. Thanks for suggesting me a good path.