The fact is, the only reason we ever needed to go to university was because most jobs will need you to have a diplomas. Whatever Uni might teach is 99% stuff you already know or can learn reading a few books in 1/10th the time. So we just go there to get a piece of paper. However, you need to subscribe the whole year in order to pass the exams, else they won’t let you.

Universities have a monopoly, not on knowledge, but on diplomas, and they try to maintain the image they’re temple of knowledge by creating fake difficulties like that. And it’s not like the teaching is great - actually you never see the best teachers more than one year, because the others are scared they’d steal the spotlight (at the time I was at Uni, the only 2 good teachers only had 1 year contracts, and no hope to get the job).

Like you said, had you just slipped into the classroom, it wouldn’t have made a difference. Actually, you could have just slipped in for the exam, while not attending any lessons, and nobody would have noticed (provided there’s enough students in your section).

If I were you, I’d never have accepted the idea to do another year for a silly reason like that. However, I’d have just slipped in for the exam ;) , which I don’t consider honest or dishonest, since they assume we’re paying for the diplomas, not for the teaching.

But I’ve seen many students having to redo a year for petty reasons like that, when simple logic wouldn’t necessitate it.

I’m not paying you to provide me with that service, nor are you obliged to help me in any way. In other words, you don’t owe me anything - contrary to my professors, who have a duty to teach and guide us, and who are paid by MY money.

Suppose I said,
“If you show up at my office at 8:00am on some particular day, I will give you
$26,000,000. If you are one second late, I will give you nothing”.

I suspect you would probably drop whatever you were doing,
and come camp out at the door in front of my office and stay there
until 8:00am of the designated day. Perhaps weeks in advance.

It is all a matter of knowing the consequences of action/inaction.