The recommendation systems are widely applied in a variety of industries, including medicine, e-commerce, tourism, TV shows, music, movies, education, etc. These systems use particular algorithms and filter useful information from a lot of information created dynamically based on a given object's preferences, interests, or pursuit behaviors. Systems for recommending courses are developed by taking into account students' general information, backgrounds, and aptitudes to assist students in finding the right study fields. Different techniques have been put forth by researchers for course recommendations in higher education. This critical survey reviews the course recommendation system for the students that advise them, guide a learner in choosing the courses for higher education that best suit their needs, and various strategies for creating course recommendation systems for higher education.