Based on D?rnyei’s system of self-regulatory strategies, the present study investigated the relationships between Chinese EFL learners’ self-regulatory capacity in vocabulary acquisition and their CET-4 score. Three hundred sophomores from 8 different majors in a key provincial university were selected through the random cluster sampling, and completed the Self-Regulatory Capacity in Vocabulary Learning Scale. The results indicated that 1) Except for superior environmental control ability, students’ self-regulatory capacity in English vocabulary learning is slightly beyond the average and great variations have been found; 2) there are significant positive correlations between students’ self-regulatory capacity in English vocabulary learning, satiation and emotion control capacity and their CET-4 score, and writing score in particular 3) Regarding lower and intermediate participants, there are no significant correlations between their overall self-regulatory capacity in English vocabulary learning and CET-4 score, but significant positive correlation has been found between high-proficiency students’ CET-4 score and their self-regulatory capacity in English vocabulary learning. In addition, high-proficiency students have stronger significant overall self-regulatory capacity and much higher ability to control their emotion and satiation than their counterparts with intermediate proficiency. Finally, reasons and implications for college English vocabulary learning and teaching are discussed.