Interesting, but the headline is inaccurate. There's no such thing as 'free college' (or any free good or service, really). Better would be:
"German taxpayers will cover your college bill, no matter where you're from."
"German taxpayers will cover your college bill, no matter where you're from."
Examples given are:
* They're giving out free tickets to the show.
* The school newsletter is free.
Neither of those examples support the idea, that services or goods cannot be free. I have the feeling that trying to limit the meaning of "free" is heavily tied to a specific political agenda.
As is describing taxpayer-funded education as 'free'.