As artificial intelligence and digital technologies become increasingly embedded in higher education, university students’ digital literacy has emerged as a critical indicator of educational quality and future developmental capacity. However, existing research remains conceptually fragmented, with limited clarity regarding the structural organization and generative logic of digital literacy. To address this gap, this study adopts a grounded theory–based literature analysis of high-quality international publications from 2000 to 2025. Through open, axial, and selective coding, key concepts and categories were systematically abstracted to construct an integrated digital literacy framework for university students. The findings indicate that digital literacy extends beyond technical or information-processing skills, constituting a multidimensional competence system integrating cognitive understanding, contextualized application, capability development, and ethical regulation. By synthesizing 162 initial concepts, 48 first-order categories, and 15 major categories, a four-dimensional framework was identified, encompassing digital transformation, digital use, digital competence, and digital security. Digital transformation emphasizes the development of digital thinking and students’ understanding of digital environments; digital use highlights contextualized engagement with digital technologies in learning and communication; digital competence focuses on higher-order abilities such as knowledge integration, problem solving, and innovation; and digital security underscores ethical awareness, risk management, and responsible digital behavior. Further analysis reveals a developmental trajectory from cognitive understanding to capability integration and contextual transfer, with data thinking and digital ethics functioning as key mechanisms within AI-enabled learning environments. This framework advances the structural theorization of digital literacy and provides a systematic foundation for curriculum design, assessment, and policy development in higher education.