Reasons:

• name recognition
• prestige
• limited research time
• recommendations
• ratings/rank
• promotions reliable, useful and educational in and of themselves

What elite schools may lose in tuition, they will recoup in an oligarchy/quasi-monopoly online education: More students of various ages for less fees per person per unit.

Will needs for “emotional intelligence” wane?  Will group learning prosper or is the hay day already on the down slope? For instance, even in groups, others play hide the ball or even engage in sabotage.

https://johnrubens.wordpress.com/2016/08/01/the-elite-schools-dont-lose-customers-in-the-end