When talking about 'free' university in Germany, they're competitive in an academic meritocratic sense. Spaces are limited and access to programs is competitive

When talking about 'free' university in Germany, they're competitive in an academic meritocratic sense. Spaces are limited and access to programs is competitive based on demand. Applicants are excluded based on their performance. I suspect if the US followed a similar path, we woukd see similar results. I've not heard calls to make US admission more selective or academicly rigorous.