kleinerDAX

Interesting proposal - one of the things that makes it different though is that you have to complete a certain level of education (not just a general diploma like you receive from a highschool) in the tiered school system. Meaning those who have worked hard enough can earn a degree - the US does not have this sort of system and lacks the equivalent of vocational and professional schools that are options for those who cannot get into a full University in Germany.

What is your proposal to make it that way in the US? One of the more interesting things I found in the US university system is that there is a definite percentage of students who are clearly not prepared/not up to the rigours of university work. Would those students also be allowed in "for free"?

No, you're exactly right - they don't. But the mentality is that everyone should now have a degree and the sad truth is that manual labor/skilled workers are a dying trend in the US... unlike in Germany. If you do not get a degree, your chances at a job that will end up paying the bills are generally quite low, which is the exact opposite in Germany because there are opportunities for people to learn a skilled craft rather than earn a degree.