I’m not so sure. This scandal has brought a lot of attention to the back door, especially the high-profile example of Jared. After this I’m sure we’ll see some legislation proposed by progressive Dems in the House to make this practise difficult, if not illegal.
There will also be a lot more public speaking out by students who resent assorted Jared Kushners debasing the value of their school’s brands.
As discussed elsewhere, the real challenge with a school like Harvard (or USC) is getting in. Once you’re admitted, they do everything they can to make sure you don’t flunk out, whether you’re a wealthy dolt like Jared who got in through the back door or a scholarship student from the projects who got in through the front door.
The selective public schools (like UCLA) and STEM-focused schools like MIT are more challenging in that regard, but the public schools are not as dependent on the backdoor as the Ivies and private liberal arts colleges are and have to be accountable to taxpayers. Still, the racketeer was able to use the sports programme as a side door, and I’m sure some people get in through the back door like at every other American school.
The goal isn’t “full public higher education” in Germany. The goal is state-subsidised or free-at-point-of-purchase tuition to a certain dollar amount for any institution, private or public where the student is admitted.
Canada is getting there faster than the U.S., by the way. Tuition for Canadian citizens at Canada’s top-ranked R1 private university (University of Toronto) is around CAD$6,900/year. Tuition for U.S. citizens at the U.S.'s top-ranked R1 private university (Princeton) is around USD$44,000/year.
