A regular Stanford student can expect to spend about $50,000 a year [1] or about $200,000 for a four-year degree. In four years, I believe that there will be at least one company that will offer trustworthy certification for a lot less, like maybe $20,000 or $2000. If the primary benefit of a Stanford education is the certification, then in a few years Stanford grads may be like owners of $200,000 cars-- obviously wealthy, but not possessing any significant advantage in transportation over owners of $20,000 cars.

[1] http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090416220215AA...