It is my understanding (based on what I know of Germany) that only certain degrees (mostly STEM) are free, and available to students who qualify (academically).
That’s fair. If someone wants to get a degree in a “field” that is not contributing to the society’s GDP, the degree is most likely only good as a signaling device for its holder. Paying their signaling cost out of the tax payer’s pocket is lunacy.
I recall that in France and Italy, tuition wasn't free, but it was on the order of ~200-300 euros per year. STEM degree tuition cost more since those students had more expensive facilities like laboratories.
Take this anecdata with a grain of salt; it's nearly 20 years old.
It's free if you're poor, otherwise it's cheap (think 3-5k€ per year).
The European governments didn't distort the market to make universities as grand and expensive as the American ones (where the price raised 1500% since the 80s).
European universities are sad places which get the job done for relatively little money.
You're still spending 3-5+ years of your life though, and that's a currency you can't earn more of.
He said European universities are sad places, that get the job done. American universities are totally awesome places, with $10 million student centers and $20 million athletic facilities, they get the job done at a far, far higher cost to students.
