AI-Driven Digital Marketing in Higher Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of College Choice Intention Research, 2022–2026
Abstract
Abstract : This study maps the intellectual structure of research on AI-driven digital marketing in higher education and its relationship to college choice intention, where the literatures on AI acceptance and student recruitment have developed separately. Methodology A bibliometric analysis of 430 Scopus-indexed articles (2022–2026) was conducted in VOS viewer. A three-block Boolean search combined digital marketing, artificial intelligence, higher education and college choice constructs, analysed through network, overlay and density visualisations. Findings Output grew from 11 articles in 2022 to 197 in 2025, with 76.28 per cent of the corpus appearing in the final two years. Social Sciences (36.5%) and Computer Science (17.3%) dominate. “Artificial intelligence”, “behavioural intention” and “technology acceptance model” form the conceptual core, whereas enrolment intention, student recruitment and digital trust remain peripheral. China leads output (24.4%), indicating a shift in knowledge production towards Asia and the Middle East. Research limitations Reliance on a single database and on English-language articles may under-represent developments first reported in conference proceedings. Practical implications: Institutions should evaluate chatbots, generative content and virtual tours by their effect on perceived authenticity and trust rather than engagement alone. This is the first study to map digital promotion, artificial intelligence and college choice intention within a single corpus covering the generative AI era, proposing a four-layer framework linking technology quality, information quality, psychological response and behavioural outcomes.
