MS Finance from a NON ELITE school?

I am currently a credit analyst at one of the big national banks, and I'm starting to think that I want to break into a higher paying line of finance such as HF, PC, Real Estate. Getting further education seems to be the only route to do so, but I'm worried that the MBA won't be beneficial for me for a few reasons. I don't see myself getting an insane GMAT to get into one of the elite schools, and even if I got into a good school, I can't imagine forgoing 2 years of salary and taking on a lot of debt.

My alternative seems to be getting a MS in Finance. There's a VERY affordable program that I hope I would be able to get accepted into (DePaul in Chicago), but I'm worried that it might be a waste of time. The way people talk about school on here is you either go to Wharton or you might as well light your money on fire because you'll never get a job unless you go to one of the elite schools. I know DePaul probably isn't a super competitive program, but could it still allow me to further my career? Would an MS in Finance cary merit regardless of where it's achieved? Or should I just try to network and pivot w/o school? (been trying to get into different roles but Im having a hard time).