Abstract: The theory of new quality productivity emphasizes the core role of knowledge, technology and innovation in promoting economic growth. As an important ecological barrier and economic development area in China, it is of great significance to explore the coupling and coordinated development of higher education and scientific and technological innovation in the Yellow River Basin from the perspective of new quality productivity for regional sustainable development. This study measures the coupling and coordination degree of higher education and scientific and technological innovation in nine provinces of the Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2022. The results show that from 2010 to 2022, there was a steady upward trend in the coupling and coordination degree of higher education and scientific and technological innovation in the Yellow River Basin, but the overall level was not high and there were regional differences. On the whole, the coupling coordination degree of the two systems presents the spatial characteristics of “downstream> midstream> upstream”. The research results do not only provide scientific basis for policy formulation, but also provide reference for the coordinated development of other similar regions. The synergistic mechanism can be further explored between different regions to enhance the wide applicability of the study.