That doesn't look like an arbitrary social barrier designed to exclude the many to me. MOOCs are still there, and still awesome.
Also someone did run a kickstarter to get funding for their expenses in NY, and it met the funding goal almost overnight.
Hacker School is a one of a kind experience. If you attend you will be among a group of people that will have 100% participation, no one there is unsure about what they want. You also will work with some of the smartest people in the industry through the Resident program.