Indeed - look at the case in Law where in the UK at least the pupillage requirement (essentially an internship/apprenticeship post university IIRC) ensures it remains the preserve of the privileged - especially the upper echelons of the field such as barristers and judges.

We see the same with the iron grip that the medical council has on the number of medicine students (imagine if we fixed the numbers of software engineering students and made it difficult to register foreign qualifications).

I agree that educational standards are important - but if that isn't coupled with improving access to higher education (including post-graduate education) then it's basically just saying only the rich should be allowed in.