Anyone can go, but there are fees. If you can’t afford the fees or the living costs you can get a means tested student loan. They copied the US model and the costs are slowly getting in that direction. I graduated in the early 90’s when grants were still a thing, but they froze them so they didn’t rise with inflation any longer and you could get ‘top up loans’ to bridge the gap to cost of living. I think I borrowed something like £750. But it was the beginning of the end of free higher education here.

Back in my day, universities used to pay me a grant to attend.

How the times have changed.

It's what,at least £9k per year plus an expectation that if your parents are "richer" than the norm, they contribute to maintenance costs to keep you going.