Most education in Europe is public and free, at least for the citizens of the country.
Within the EU, it is also practically free for all EU citizens.
Speaking the local language is a requirement, although there are English-speaking private affiliate “colleges”, where you may go for 2-3 years, but then you are required to finish the last year either in the UK or the US.
Most countries have pretty competitive entrance exams, much harder than the US SAT, and even in the UK, getting to a top school is very competitive.