I think the focus here is on the public part. Private universities in Germany don't have a particularly good reputation in general and are considered to be a wa

I think the focus here is on the public part. Private universities in Germany don't have a particularly good reputation in general and are considered to be a way out for children who didn't do well in school but have parents rich enough to buy them into a university. Public schools on the other hand are all considered to be more or less equally good, so it doesn't really matter which one you attended later in life, which as I gather is different in the US.