Higher education institutions (HEIs) are encountering numerous challenges in today's era of globalization and internationalization. Among these challenges, digital transformation stands out as one of the most demanding, as it involves using ICT to transform business processes. The successful implementation of such systems and related services requires careful management and measurement. To gain deeper insights into the present state of information systems (IS) and digital services in higher education and relevant theory-based models, a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis were conducted. After the search and screening, this paper systematically reviewed 63 publications to identify various ISs and classify the research conducted to date. This paper highlights a critical gap in the investigation of ISs beyond learning activities, emphasizing the under-researched area of administrative digital services. Furthermore, the paper contributes by highlighting the prevalent use of DeLone and McLean's success model, particularly in combination with TAM/UTAUT, for empirically measuring IS success in higher education. Results also identify a need for greater consistency and rigor in the use of indicators across studies, since there is no evident agreement on indicators used for measuring the success dimensions. Bibliometric analysis on 1791 records underscores the evolving research landscape, with a shift towards evaluating the quality dimension emphasizing the significance of success evaluation. By achieving its primary objective of examining and organizing the relevant scientific literature on IS in higher education, this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge and offers foundational resources researchers and HEIs seeking to implement new ISs or improve their current systems.