In the evolving landscape of higher education, managers face a complex array of marketing opportunities and challenges that prioritize the enhancement of organizational reputation, student recruitment, and stakeholder engagement in a highly competitive and digital environment. To compete globally for students, a strategic approach to marketing is needed that emphasizes the importance of brand communications and developing a compelling value proposition for both domestic and international students. In this study, 62 published articles between 2018 and 2024 were evaluated using the software "MAXQDA2018" and thematic analysis. Digital marketing channels, industry needs for university services, and increasing demand for higher education were identified as opportunities, while financial resource provision, social and cultural challenges, marketing and communication difficulties, and organizational and management issues were recognized as challenges in higher education. Based on the opinions of 7 active higher education managers and using the AHP method, the most significant opportunity for universities is the increasing demand for higher education, and the most significant challenge is social and cultural problems at various levels of higher education in Iraq.
