College courses matter much more than name brand, if we are comparing a math major and comp sci minor with CFA lvl 1 from a non-tier one to a base fin. major from a tier one who has only taken calc 1 and QBA.
But among those who graduate with the same degrees from the top colleges and non-top colleges, the top college kids are usually legitimately better prepared and smarter. Often, they are at the top college for a reason. But I stand by the idea that if you are willing to code and read math/stat textbook in most of your free time then there is probably a spot at one of the top colleges somewhere. Maybe not the very top, but probably top ten. If you meet the standard pre-requisites.