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People shouldn't be forced into lifelong debt because of social convention

You can have social convention without the debt. The social convention in the US is to have debt.

In many countries university is free. An investment incurred by society.

In those countries, what fraction of the population goes to a university?

Sure, we could do that in the US, too. Maybe not for 60% of the population, though. (In the US, 62.7% of high school graduates attend some additional schooling - though fewer graduate from college.)

About 55% in Germany. Note it is only this low because Germany has a second, alternate system of higher education (the crafts degree system), which remains a viable avenue toward high-income jobs for many. If you put academic and professional education together, I think around 70% on average pursue higher education (over 80-90% in cities). Largely for free.

No system is perfect, but the idea of paying for university (or making young people pay for university) still strikes me as bizarre and preposterous. What's the point of organized society if not providing education to improve everything for everyone?

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