This study aims to explore the longitudinal relationship between chronotype and depressive symptoms and the mediating roles of perceived stress and self-control among college students. A total of 11,010 college students completed two web-based surveys during 17 to 29 October 2023 (Time 1, T1) and 15 to 24 April 2024 (Time 2, T2), respectively. Participants completed the reduced version of morningness-eveningness questionnaire, the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, the Brief Self-Control Scale, the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and 3 items of the Youth Self-Rating Insomnia Scale. The results indicated that perceived stress (T1) and self-control (T2) serially mediate the relationship between morning chronotype (T1) and depressive symptoms (T2) (