The knowledge produced within Higher Education Institutions must be shared and appropriate by the different communities, so it is a challenge to identify mechanisms to manage this type of knowledge as an intangible asset generating competitive advantages. Given this need, this article aims to identify different structures of knowledge management models in Higher Education Institutions, in order to provide the main criteria to be taken into account when implementing knowledge management systems in university institutions and understand the evolution of this research topic. The methodology was developed through a systematic review of scientific articles, with the application of a search equation in the Scopus database. A total of 22 articles were analysed, identifying the types of knowledge management models used, their objectives, the variables involved, the description of the model, the methodological tools involved in its elaboration, its evolution and its differentiating aspects. In this way, this research seeks to be an academic and practical guide for Higher Education Institutions seeking to adapt, implement or create models of knowledge management. It is concluded that the evolution of the models has been oriented towards the incorporation of new technological platforms, new techniques and a search to better articulate the actors involved in the knowledge management process.