With China's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 paying off, over one million college students have returned to school in 14 provinces, the country's Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Thursday.

After the May Day holiday, more college students will be back at school in nine other provinces, including Hainan, Guangdong and Fujian, the ministry added.

Colleges have introduced staggered reopening times, as schools at other levels have done before. A number of colleges are offering virus nucleic acid testing for students. 

More schools at all levels have been open in China since April. Senior students in middle school and high school are among the first to return in order to prepare for the upcoming high school or university entrance exams.