Objective To analyze the mental health status of college students under regular prevention and control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, so as to provide the basis for mental health intervention. Methods From Apr. 15 to 30, 2020, three universities in Shanghai were selected to conduct the network research through WeChat platform. The questionnaire was designed by questionnaire star to collect the demographic data of college students. The modified positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) were used to assess the emotional status of college students, and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) was used to measure the sleep quality of them. Results A total of 1 195 college students were recruited in the study, including 531 males and 664 females, aged from 17 to 39 years. During regular COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control, the college students had a variety of negative emotions, including anxiety (46.6%, 557/1 195), sadness (28.9%, 345/1 195), tension (25.0%, 299/1 195) and fear or panic (21.3%, 255/1 195), while the positive emotion was rare, except for calmness (55.9%, 668/1 195). Of all participants, 17.6% (210/1 195) reported poor subjective sleep quality, 18.8% (225/1 195) reported long sleep latency, 17.3% (207/1 195) reported sleep disturbances, and 14.8% (177/1 195) reported sleep insufficiency. Age, gender, education level, location, and living condition were the influencing factors of emotion and sleep status, and the academic major was an influencing factor of emotional status (all P<0.05). Conclusion Under regular prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic, negative emotions and poor sleep are common among college students. We should pay more attention to the students who are elder, female, master or above, who previously lived abroad or in Hubei province, who are isolated or observed, and those majoring in medical-related specialties.