Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming higher education not only through teaching, learning, and scientific research but also through the management and governance of higher education institutions. Universities are beginning to employ AI in admissions, student administration, academic advising, early-warning systems, human-resource management, financial administration, scheduling, quality assurance, institutional planning, communication, and decision support. This development represents a transition from predominantly rule-based and reactive administration toward increasingly data-driven, predictive, and adaptive forms of institutional management. However, the adoption of AI also creates significant challenges concerning data quality, privacy, algorithmic bias, transparency, accountability, institutional autonomy, professional responsibility, and the appropriate boundaries between automated recommendations and human decisions. This article examines the current applications of AI in higher education management internationally and analyses the emerging situation in Vietnam. Drawing on recent international policy literature, empirical research, UNESCO assessments, OECD analysis, and Vietnamese regulatory and research sources, the article argues that AI should not be understood merely as an instrument for administrative automation. Rather, it is becoming an institutional capability that can reshape how universities collect and interpret information, allocate resources, provide services, identify risks, and make strategic decisions. In Vietnam, the policy environment is moving rapidly toward more systematic integration of digital technologies and AI into higher education management. The newly effective Circular No. 49/2026/TT-BGDĐT explicitly regulates the application of digital technologies and AI in higher education, including governance, management, student services, data integration, analysis, forecasting, and decision-making. Nevertheless, institutional readiness remains uneven, and the quality of management information systems and institutional data remains a critical determinant of successful AI adoption. The article proposes a human-centred model of AI-enabled university management based on strategic alignment, data quality, institutional readiness, risk-based deployment, transparency, human oversight, accountability, and continuous evaluation. The article concludes that the future of AI in higher education management should not be defined by the replacement of administrators with algorithms but by the development of institutional intelligence in which AI expands human analytical capacity while universities retain responsibility for educational, ethical, and organizational judgment.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming higher education not only through teaching, learning, and scientific research but also through the management and governance of higher education institutions. Universities are beginning to employ AI in admissions, student administration, academic advising, early-warning systems, human-resource management, financial administration, scheduling, quality assurance, institutional planning, communication, and decision support. This development represents a transition from predominantly rule-based and reactive administration toward increasingly data-driven, predictive, and adaptive forms of institutional management. However, the adoption of AI also creates significant challenges concerning data quality, privacy, algorithmic bias, transparency, accountability, institutional autonomy, professional responsibility, and the appropriate boundaries between automated recommendations and human decisions. This article examines the current applications of AI in higher education management internationally and analyses the emerging situation in Vietnam. Drawing on recent international policy literature, empirical research, UNESCO assessments, OECD analysis, and Vietnamese regulatory and research sources, the article argues that AI should not be understood merely as an instrument for administrative automation. Rather, it is becoming an institutional capability that can reshape how universities collect and interpret information, allocate resources, provide services, identify risks, and make strategic decisions. In Vietnam, the policy environment is moving rapidly toward more systematic integration of digital technologies and AI into higher education management. The newly effective Circular No. 49/2026/TT-BGDĐT explicitly regulates the application of digital technologies and AI in higher education, including governance, management, student services, data integration, analysis, forecasting, and decision-making. Nevertheless, institutional readiness remains uneven, and the quality of management information systems and institutional data remains a critical determinant of successful AI adoption. The article proposes a human-centred model of AI-enabled university management based on strategic alignment, data quality, institutional readiness, risk-based deployment, transparency, human oversight, accountability, and continuous evaluation. The article concludes that the future of AI in higher education management should not be defined by the replacement of administrators with algorithms but by the development of institutional intelligence in which AI expands human analytical capacity while universities retain responsibility for educational, ethical, and organizational judgment.
