In the conquest to remain competitive and create differentiation in the global higher education environment, institutions are investing their resources in branding efforts to form emotional connections with students and build strong brand–customer relationships. The current review examines the literature on emotional brand attachment in the higher education marketing landscape with students as ‘customer’ viewpoint. Two major bodies of databases were selected to retrieve data from 2008 to 2024 examining how emotional brand attachment unfolds within the complex landscape of higher education marketing. This review serves as the foundation for understanding the nuances of the emotional link between students and higher education institutions. It attempts to lead additional study initiatives by laying the groundwork for researchers to investigate and expand on topics that are currently underexplored or insufficiently addressed in the existing scholarship.