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Universities have historically been institutions of class structure, and not just in the US. I doubt that will change any time soon, and can't honestly think of how it could. Tertiary education requires that a person give up some part of their potentially-working day to activities that don't pay rent or put food on the table. Nevermind direct costs of education, if you don't pay people to be students, then it will continue to reinforce class structure.

Personally, I think it's in the state's interest to encourage every individual to pursue as much education, of whatever form, as they choose. Tertiary education through university, college, or trade school ought to be without direct cost, and we ought to have enough social safety net to secure people while they pursue it. Do that, and some new structure will develop so employers can identify upper-class candidates, like unpaid internships.