<p>Sustainable energy management (SEM) within university campuses (UCs) has yet to be effectively implemented in many developing regions, particularly the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The study examined the relative influence of physical infrastructure, sustainability, policy framework and institutional planning on SEM in six (6) selected public universities. Grounded in Institutional Theory (IT) foundations to demonstrate that formalised policy mechanisms are more effective than the normative sustainability orientation or infrastructural expansion, used independently. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Data were gathered from 446 respondents at the six (6) selected public universities, comprising key university stakeholders, such as built environment professionals in physical planning units, academics, and students of built environment programmes, to evaluate the explanatory power of institutional and environmental factors using multiple regression analysis. The findings reveal that sustainability and environmental orientation are strong predictors of sustainability performance (R² = 0.281, <i>p</i> &lt;. 001), although only moderately so. Policy framework and institutional planning, in contrast, demonstrate significantly high predictive ability (R² = 0.718, <i>p</i>&lt;.001) with policy framework emerging as the dominant determinant (β = 0.731). The descriptive results also indicate fragmented integration of the sustainability standards in the infrastructure. In addition, the findings indicate that the transition to SEM in UCs in the Niger Delta region is primarily achieved through governance rather than through infrastructure initiatives. The study provides empirical evidence on the concept of symbolic sustainability adoption within institutionalised governance systems in a developing-region UCs context and underscores the key role of structured policy frameworks in advancing campus energy sustainability.</p>