If you're not going into a competitive field, how much does the university your degree comes from matter?

Great question.  That is, if you have a background in which to answer.  I can only speak from what I know since I have not read much to support my ideas.  

I think it depends on the era.  When I was going to school, OF COURSE, the idea of great credentials and making the most of them was always underscored.  In MY types of fields, I am comfortable.  So, I am comfortable skirting the usual "I AM A TOTALLY GREEN NEWBIE" chatter and get to the point of what they are looking for and how I can assist.  

Those are my credentials.  Studying my future employment and seeing what I need to do to be marketable.  If it is something to do with nitpicking credentials, WELL that is NOT me and that IS a lot of employers OUT THERE.  Meaning if you want a job at Goldman Sachs or on Wall Street, you'd better BRING IT. Because?  There are hundreds or thousands of applicants.  

You want the creme'de la creme'.  I would never WANT a job like that.  

However, if you are looking for a job where talent is key?  Then there is a different set of rules.  The art scene is who you know and who you worked for, same with all the coveted glamorous positions of fame and beauty.

No one cares if Natalie Portman went to Harvard or whatever Ivy League School she attended.  She is a brain, but it is not why she is successful, at least not so far.  She seems to be traveling in a much more intellectual direction, but, I digress.  

Even in competitive fields, where doesn't matter much to any HR person doing their job of hiring the best candidate for the job.
Even an upper management "Yale Man" isn't likely to hire a Yale graduate with lower grades/less experience than a Harvard graduate.

Such things may have been widespread once ... but the schools matter far less now, and the potential lawsuits matter far more.

Possibly.
My uni ranks very low, 133rd in the Asia-Pacific.
I chose it because it's the nearest to me, only two hours commute each way - and because I find tutorials with real people on campus offer more immediate and higher quality feedback than is available via online uni courses.
The, just last week I discovered something wonderful - ours is the only university in the world to offer a sociological and historical theoretical back ground to creative writing, as well as the full spectrum of literary theory and analysis and the works of successful creative writers . All other creative writing courses focus only the works of successful creative writers as the reading component of their courses - no theory, background or analysis whatsoever? I was at first shocked, and then suddenly felt very lucky.
Even so, when I've finished this course, I may enrol in one with a record for consistently producing the highest numbers of top writers.
What does make a difference is the teachers, the kind of work they've published and their ability to communicate.
The rubric also makes a big difference. When it's rigorous and clearly defined, it makes it a lot easier to learn how to exercise and stretch one's skills.
Other factors include an enjoyable campus with good facilities, and great fellow students. Good students raise the stakes; their contribute to an atmosphere in which their are lively, deep and interesting discussions and everyone feels more motivated and impassioned with the work.

That said, a good student will learn well in any environment, and a poor one will not learn even in the best conditions. By good or poor I mean the hours and focused effort put into study.

This post was edited by inky at April 15, 2019 6:22 PM MDT

Employers do care about the academic reputation of a school.  For many jobs a degree is simply a way to reduce the number of applicants that must be processed.  But for some, the reputation of the school with regard to your particular field is really important.  If the job is for an engineer position, it will matter.  If you are looking for an entry-level management position in a large corporation, your business or management undergraduate degree could be from almost anywhere.  This post was edited by Thriftymaid at April 17, 2019 8:04 AM MDT