I am not even sure this is really a Europe-wide thing. I migrated to the Netherlands from the US (West Coast) and class here is way closer to how it is in the US than in England for example. I understand (but can’t confirm) that France is quite egalitarian in comparison as well since the revolution.
> I understand (but can’t confirm) that France is quite egalitarian in comparison as well since the revolution.
In theory it is supposed to be egalitarian, and everyone will pay lip service to it. In practice, not so much.
As the sibling said about the Netherlands, there very much is a sort of class system built around education. When you meet someone, usually, the first question is "what do you do for a living" and the second is "where did you go to school".
People will also pay attention to the way you talk. If you have a "hood" accent, you'll be considered "less than" someone "without" accent. If you don't speak fluent French, it's also "better" to speak with an English/American accent than, say, eastern European.
The universities themselves are not selective, any university would be ‘university’ (highest) level.
The middle level are now called Universities of Applied Sciences, which give out a bachelors, but as far as I know never a masters diploma.
The lowest level are vocational colleges, which don’t give you any internationally recognized credential at all (but do train you to do a variety of occupations).
You basically get sorted into one of these levels once you leave elementary school based on educational skill and aptitude (by your final year teacher), and while changing is possible, it costs you years (which still seem very precious at the time).
If you meet any Dutch person outside the Netherlands they almost per definition are middle level or higher, because anyone without a bachelors diploma often doesn’t get to immigrate (depending on country).
