Research trajectories and knowledge structures in university branding: A bibliometric analysis of symbolic governance in higher education

University branding has become an increasingly important area of inquiry within higher education, yet the field remains fragmented across marketing, communication, and governance perspectives. This study maps the intellectual and conceptual development of university branding research and examines how the field has evolved between 1997 and 2025. A longitudinal bibliometric analysis was conducted on 777 English-language journal articles indexed in Scopus. Performance analysis was undertaken using Biblioshiny (Bibliometrix version 4.3.2 running in R version 4.4.1), while science mapping and network visualisation were performed using VOSviewer version 1.6.20. The findings indicate that university branding has evolved from a peripheral marketing concern into a more established and interdisciplinary field situated at the intersection of marketing, communication, and higher education governance. Two major transition periods were identified: the mid-2000s, when branding emerged as a strategic response to increasing competition and marketisation in higher education, and the mid-2010s, when branding became more closely associated with institutional identity, stakeholder engagement, and governance processes. The conceptual structure of the field is organised around three interconnected dimensions: institutional identity and governance, stakeholder perceptions and experiential value, and reputation and strategic positioning. The study argues that university branding is increasingly understood as a form of symbolic governance through which institutions manage legitimacy, stakeholder relationships, and competitive visibility. By reconstructing the intellectual architecture of the field, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the evolving role of branding in contemporary higher education and identifies future research opportunities related to digital transformation, artificial intelligence, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agendas, and emerging governance challenges.