Bureaucracy, Conformity, and Mediocrity

Foundation for Economic Education ^ | Thursday, July 3, 2025 | Lika Kobeshavidze

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The hidden cost of Europe’s free education.

Europe’s free university model is often seen as a triumph of modern society. With no crushing tuition bills, minimal student debt, and a promise of equal access, it sounds ideal. In countries like Germany and France, students pay only a small administrative fee, typically between $200 and $500 a year, compared to the staggering tuition costs in the US or UK. Many also receive financial aid in the form of grants that don’t need to be repaid, or low-interest loans based on need.

But behind the promises of fairness and opportunity lies a system that too often feels rigid, overcrowded, and uninspiring. For all its accessibility, the reality of navigating these institutions can leave students feeling like just another number in a giant, bureaucratic machine.

When education is available to everyone, universities become packed. Lecture halls overflow, and personal contact with professors becomes rare. In many European countries, it is normal to attend classes with hundreds of other students. There is little space for discussion, feedback, or even questions.

You sit, you take notes, you pass or fail. It feels more like an assembly line than a place for learning. And the numbers explain why. In 2022, the European Union had 18.8 million students, about 7% of its total population, enrolled in tertiary education. In the United States, about 19.1 million people were enrolled in college during the 2024–25 academic year. In addition to similar enrollment figures, both the EU and the US have made higher education widely accessible. In the EU, where tuition is often free or heavily subsidized, higher education has been expanded to accommodate the majority. As of 2022, 44% of EU citizens aged 25–34 had completed a tertiary degree, compared to 50% in the US.

The two systems differ in...

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TOPICS: Education
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[BipolarBob]

And throw in some mendacity as well. This is what happens under globalists elitists.

[sauropod]

Bkmk

[wac3rd]

What are they teaching? Socialism.