ABSTRACT The current research aims to address the concern of high attrition rate in MOOCs via exploring factors underlying learners’ acceptance of MOOCs. Despite the plethora of studies on technology acceptance, few have discussed the role of time in technology acceptance. Given that time was reported as an important factor influencing learners’ decision of MOOC completion/dropout in the previous studies, the current study is conducted to fill in the literature gap by extending technology acceptance model (TAM) with a new construct: Perception of Time. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the reliability and validity of the hypothesized model with data collected from Chinese university students. The results showed that the extended TAM could explain 45% of the variance in Chinese university students’ MOOCs acceptance. Perception of Time did not directly associate with attitude and intention, but it was a significant predictor for perceived usefulness. Gender did not moderate the perception of time in explaining university students’ MOOCs acceptance as expected. This study yields insights into the understanding of time’ role in the acceptance of MOOCs, which contributes to the development of technology acceptance theory in educational context and adds value to MOOC teaching and learning practice.