I paid $0 for a Computer Science degree in a poor country. It was absolutely worth it. We used the very same books as the most prestigious US universities as a

I paid $0 for a Computer Science degree in a poor country. It was absolutely worth it. We used the very same books as the most prestigious US universities as a basis for our courses, we learned the exact same things, and now that I work with people who paid a ton of money for those degrees I don't feel disadvantaged at all. Cormen, Knuth, Hennesy & Patterson, Tanenbaum, Ulman, you name it. Sometimes I know a little about a topic but, but the University gave me the framework so that I can learn anything computer-science related with a much smaller effort compared to those without a degree. That said, I do recognize the name of the university on their CVs does draw more attention and may make them have an advantage during job hunting. Also, their powerful contacts acquired over there. But once we're in the same room, we're equal.