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1. Synergising CDA and stance analysis to examine marketisation discourse of Ghanaian HEIs. 2. Prominent use of boosters and attitude markers in vision and mission statements. 3. Competitive climate and social trends motivating rhetorical choices. 4. Neoliberal ideologies and agendas are discursively manifested in university rhetoric. 5. Differences between institutional types shape marketisation strategies. A key manifestation of market forces permeating higher education is the marketised discourse in universities' vision and mission statements, promoting institutional brands and offerings. This study set out to explore how 59 Ghanaian universities marketise themselves in their vision and mission statements. Drawing on critical discourse analysis (CDA) and a metadiscourse model of stance, a textual analysis revealed six key marketisation strategies: (1) trumpeting excellence, global aspirations and partnerships; (2) highlighting niche specialisations; (3) declaring commitment to knowledge creation and dissemination; (4) pledging positive societal impact: (5) promising holistic and quality education; (6) emphasising ethical, value-based education. In comparison with the public universities, the private and technical universities adopted a more assertive marketing language replete with boosters, attitude markers and hedging expressions. Thus, the identified discoursal differences align with university types and market orientations. These findings offer important implications for higher education development, policy-making of educational stakeholders and further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]