It is virtually impossible to compete in today’s global economy without a college degree.

The statement frames higher education as a near-necessity for economic participation, reflecting a policy-oriented view that credentials have become central to employability and national competitiveness. By invoking “today’s global economy,” it links individual educational attainment to broader structural forces—globalization, technological change, and labor-market credentialing—suggesting that workers without degrees face steep disadvantages in wages, job security, and mobility. The phrasing “virtually impossible” is rhetorical and absolute-leaning, functioning less as a literal claim than as an argument for expanding access to postsecondary education and training, and for treating college affordability and completion as economic imperatives rather than purely personal choices.