Higher education as a marketable product. A critical discourse analysis of universities’ persuasive strategies to recruit students

Abstract

The new capitalist market economy is invading most of the spheres in our society and education is no exception. This paper attempts to begin to explore the impact of this social change on higher education through the review of literature available on four main research strands: the new capitalism, persuasive discourse, marketization in higher education, and Critical Discourse Analysis. A sample comparative critical discourse analysis of Cardiff University (CU) and the University of Lleida (UdL) websites is also made in order to examine two specific cases in which higher educational institutions adopt particular strategies to recruit international students. The results seem to confirm the initial hypothesis based on my experience as a student at both universities: CU may be more attractive than the UdL for international students because it uses more effective marketing strategies on its website. The study confirms that universities’ discourse reflects the current transformation of higher education into a marketable product.