Is it financially smarter to go to a low-tier school for a low price or to go to a top-tier school for some extra money?

Your computer science education is going to be fairly consistent among most schools. The goal is to teach you fundamental computer science and give you an introduction to different areas it can be applied to; whether it be web development, game development, embedded device firmware development, etc. If it's a new CS program at a school, then it may not be as good as others.

If you have an interest in a particular area of computer science, such as robotics or artificial intelligence, there are certain schools that have great graduate programs and job connections for that.

The biggest differentiator among schools will be the connections you gain. Hiring departments at every company, large and small, get a ton of applicants for every job. If you get an introduction to the company via a mutual connection, you're going to get pushed to the top of that list. Does it mean you wouldn't get the job otherwise? No, but it does mean you're going to get noticed and get an interview a lot faster.

If you plan on staying local after you graduate, then go to a local school and save money. Your professors probably have active connections with all local tech companies, which will make it easy to get an internship or post-graduation interview.

If you want to move to Silicon Valley, it's a little different. There are some companies that require a degree from a top-tier school. There are lots that don't. If you're entrepreneurial, you'll find a lot of like-minded people at Stanford.

IMO, what's more important than the school you go to is that you focus on both fundamental computer science and the real-world application of it. Never stop having side projects. Never stop learning something new. Get involved in open source projects that interest you. You will learn just as much on your own as you will in class, if not more. Fundamental computer science knowledge is mandatory, but side projects and open source contributions are what I look at the most when reviewing resumes.

Source: Senior Engineer and CTO of several successful tech startups in Silicon Valley.

/r/personalfinance Thread