The protection of cultural heritage is not only a cultural work, but also a work with political significance, which is related to a country’s cultural sovereignty, cultural status, and cultural security. With the vigorous development of cultural relics protection and the continuous improvement of technological innovation capabilities, higher requirements and expectations have also been put forward for higher education institutions. This study focuses on the systematic functions and implementation paths of higher education institutions in cultural heritage protection, proposes a five-dimensional support system to ensure the implementation of responsibilities, and ultimately verifies that higher education institutions have become the core strategic force driving the sustainable development of cultural heritage by balancing the protection of historical authenticity and innovative activation and utilization.