I already eluded to this in the post you're replying to, but even ignoring the certification angle there's still a bunch of things online/opencourseware can't d

I already eluded to this in the post you're replying to, but even ignoring the certification angle there's still a bunch of things online/opencourseware can't do. It can't give you access to a state of the art high-energy physics lab in which to do hands-on learning, or access to real hospitals in which to do residency, etc, etc. These aren't simply aspects of being certified, but are essential bits of education in those fields. If you're a programmer, who cares about expensive equipment or access, all you need in a compiler and a text editor, but there are plenty of fields of study where you need access to a lot more than that and thus the population of people that want to go into those fields will continue to be at the mercy of the cost of higher education.