Does it matter where you did your undergrad from if you are applying to the top 10 institutions (MSFE/MSQF) ?

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I am asking because my undergrad college isnt the best in my country , would a high GRE , work experience and some courses cope for my college brand ?
 
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.
 
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Something else to consider (if you are a US student at least) is that many of the students from top-tier US universities can get quant finance jobs right out of undergrad meaning they won't be competing for a spot in top MFE programs
 
In general, I would say no, with maybe Princeton MFin being the only exception (from the MFin resume books, their students seem to come from the top unis in the students' respective countries).

Just make sure you're near the top or at the top in your college and it is at least above average in rank relative to the other colleges in your country (not a hard requirement but it definitely helps). If you still have time and if you're allowed to at your college, you could also consider doing an exchange and maybe take some courses at some relatively well-known US college and do well (also not a hard requirement).
 
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