We do have aptitude tests and a selection system in the US: the SAT/ACT. You can't get into competitive schools without not only doing well on that test but als

We do have aptitude tests and a selection system in the US: the SAT/ACT. You can't get into competitive schools without not only doing well on that test but also doing well in high school and often outside of high school. Obviously, only people who pass and are admitted would get the free education. One can't just simply go to say Berkley and start studying anything. They have stringent admissions criteria. So I don't really see what point you're trying to make. There's absolutely no reason this couldn't work in the US. For people who don't test that well there's still community colleges and lesser state schools. Little about the testing and admissions process would have to change. Only the funding and cost would need to be reworked. That's far from impossible if we want to invest in future generations rather than using them to make a short-term profit.