Objective: To investigate the effects of endurance running at different intensities on self-control of sedentary university students, and to reveal the immediate and sustained effects of exercise on cognitive control. Methods: Ninety students with sedentary behaviors from 7 universities in a university city in Shandong Province were selected by cluster stratified random sampling. 21, 23, 21 and 25 students in the high, medium and low intensity groups and the blank control group completed the 30min endurance running exercise, combined with the willingness of the subjects. The Stroop test was conducted immediately after exercise, 5, 15 and 30 min after exercise, and the correct rate and response time of the Stroop test were used as two indicators of self-control. Results: In the immediate post-exercise period, the correct response time for the control group ( 774.03 ±127.85)ms], the high-intensity group [(745.37±109.59)ms], the moderate-intensity group [(627.90±129.18)ms] and the low-intensity group [(689.90±129.79)ms] were statistically significant ( F =6.27, P <0.05). The correct rate for the control group [(94.40±2.02)%], the low-intensity group [(95.38±1.96)%], the high-intensity group [(92.43±2.32)%] and the moderate-intensity group [(96.39±1.08)%] were statistically significant ( F =14.87, P <0.05). High-intensity endurance running exercise was able to achieve the best performance at 30 min and beyond on the Stroop test response and correctness ( P <0.05), while moderate-intensity endurance running had a better effect on improving self-control than low-intensity endurance running at 30 min post-exercise. Conclusion High and moderate-intensity endurance running exercises can effectively improve self-control in sedentary university students. It is recommended that moderate or high intensity endurance running be performed as the body can tolerate it to improve self-control and cognitive ability.