Higher institutions are prime for cultivating talents to respond to the economic, cultural and social development in local areas. It is of great significance to explore the integration of higher institutions with regional economies. This paper sheds new light on the correlation model between China’s regional economy and higher institutions. Herein, many colleges and universities in Henan Province are sampled as study cases, how the higher institutions serve local economy is thoroughly studied. The findings show that the higher education combining regional requirements for economic development can effectively push forward the internal reform of the institutions, enhance the linkage between the institutions and the society, achieve a good effect in discipline construction. It is also suggested that higher institutions should further establish a sound social evaluation system and supervisory authority in future development.