This study delves into the burgeoning realm of smart education systems (SES) within Chinese private higher education institutions (PHEIs), aiming to identity the determinants affecting lectures’ adoption of SES and the relationship among them. 617 available data were collected from Chinese private university lectures through purposive sampling. Descriptive statistical analysis, reliability and validity tests, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and path analysis are employed in this study. The findings reveal that factors such as subjective norms, attitudes towards technology, self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use significantly impact lecturers' acceptance of SES. This study also uncovers the mediating roles of perceived usefulness and ease of use in this acceptance process. Implications of this research are multifaceted, offering valuable insights for educational administrators, policy makers, technology developers, and educators. This study enriches the academic discourse on technology adoption in higher education. It extends the existing theoretical frameworks by integrating the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), providing a more holistic understanding of technology acceptance in educational settings. Additionally, the study offers practical strategies for various stakeholders to enhance the adoption and effective utilization of SES in higher education, thereby contributing to the advancement of educational technology and pedagogy.