Digital transformation has become a defining strategic priority for higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide, reshaping teaching, research, administration, and institutional governance. In China, national initiatives such as the Education Informatization 2.0 Action Plan have accelerated this shift, yet the pace and depth of transformation vary sharply across regions. Yunnan Province, located in southwestern China and characterized by mountainous terrain, a large ethnic-minority population, and comparatively lower levels of economic development, offers a distinctive setting in which to examine the factors that enable or constrain digital transformation in higher education. This paper synthesizes the international and Chinese literature on digital transformation in HEIs to identify five interrelated factor domains – institutional/ strategic, technological, human/cultural, task-technology fit, and policy/environmental – and situates them within the specific developmental context of Yunnan. A conceptual framework is proposed to illustrate how these factors interact with contextual moderators, including the urban–rural digital divide and regional resource disparity, to shape institutional, pedagogical, and equity outcomes. The paper concludes with policy and management implications for accelerating an inclusive and sustainable digital transformation in Yunnan’s higher education sector, and outlines directions for future empirical research.

Keywords: Digital Transformation, Higher Education Institutions, Yunnan, China, Digital Divide, Institutional Change, Education Informatization.

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