Top tier schools don't necessarily deliver better educations (though some do). In general they simply provide better opportunities: - networking - brand reco

Top tier schools don't necessarily deliver better educations (though some do). In general they simply provide better opportunities: - networking - brand recognition of institution - head hunters that look for talent pre-graduation That said, I think you can get an excellent education with online and offline materials (don't discount the latter... a good book and some solid study hours every day will still get you pretty far). You'll just be at a disadvantage on the above points. It's possible to route around those limitations however.