Higher education institutions (HEI) play an essential role in shaping the future of generations. With the unexpected devastation caused by COVID-19, many industries were negatively affected, including HEIs. There are many lessons learned in the aftermath of the global pandemic, and the risk management and preparedness of HEIs became an interesting focal point. We surveyed several published scholarly journals, and there appears a gap in recent research on the risk management practices of HEIs. However, a review of nine peer-reviewed articles using thematic analysis found that HEIs use Emergency Planning, Risk Communication, Out-of-the-Box Learning Approaches, Collaboration, and Support as risk management practices of sample HEIs from Japan, China, New Zealand, Netherlands, Ethiopia, Ghana, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The results of this study can be beneficial to HEIs as they review their risk management practices and adopt measures to help mitigate the risks of unforeseen disruptions. This study may also nudge future researchers to supplement and fill the knowledge gap we discovered in this area.