Identifying the spatial correlation patterns and network structures between digitalization and higher education,revealing the driving factors behind them,is crucial for understanding the systematic logic of their integrated development.Based on the estimation of the coupling coordination degree between digitalization and higher education in 279 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2022,this paper examined the spatiotemporal characteristics of their coupling coordination by Dagum Gini coefficient.Furthermore,a modified gravity model,social network analysis,and QAP regression analysis were employed to explore the structure and driving factors of the spatial association network of coupling coordination.This paper drew the following conclusions:(1)The coupling coordination between digitalization and higher education has evolved from a moderately disordered decline to a mildly disordered decline.However,the relative lag in higher education development has constrained further improvement in the degree of coordination.Spatial imbalance in coupling coordination has intensified,with the most pronounced disparities observed between the eastern and northeastern regions,as well as within the northeastern region itself.(2)A spatial network of integration between digitalization and higher education has gradu-ally taken shape,exhibiting a relatively mature cluster development pattern.Core cities such as Wuhan,Chongqing,Beijing,and Shang-hai occupied dominant positions within the network,radiating influence to drive development in other cities,while certain cities in the western and northeastern regions showed weak collaborative interactions,remaining on the periphery and acting as net beneficiaries of the network.(3)Geographical proximity and administrative affiliation were identified as the primary drivers of the formation of the spa-tial network,whereas economic competition among cities hindered its development.