When choosing a place of higher education, pet-friendliness is usually lower on the list of priorities. But for passionate pet owners who cannot be separated from their companions, this can become a crucial factor in whether a college is a good choice.
Typically, colleges aren't seen as pet-friendly, and we rarely see dogs and cats on college campuses. However, this is rapidly changing, and more colleges are becoming open to students bringing their pets to campus. Below, we've profiled many U.S. colleges and picked the 25 most pet-friendly based on their pet policies.
How these colleges were chosen
We've compiled a huge list of all colleges in the United States and then reviewed their rules and regulations, and specifically their “Pet Policy” pages if they had one. For example, here's what Alfred State's pets page looks like.
From there, we considered several factors, and colleges with the fewest restrictions on pets ranked highest (all pets of all sizes allowed, little to no breed restrictions, ease of registering a pet, fewest restrictions for owners and their pets, etc.).
Note that some rules apply across all colleges, such as requiring appropriate vaccinations, spaying/neutering, preventatives for fleas, ticks, and worms, and non-aggression.
All colleges also require students to apply for and register their pets as campus residents and pay the appropriate fees. Service dogs and assistance animals are excluded from most of these restrictions.
25 Most Pet-Friendly Colleges
1. Stephens College
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Website: https://www.stephens.edu/
For over ten years, Stephens College has welcomed pets on its campus! While dogs are a student favorite, the campus also welcomes cats, bunnies, fish, and birds, as well as a few smaller animals. The college even holds pet costume parades for Halloween and partners with a local shelter where students serve as foster parents! If that isn’t enough, the college offers free doggy daycare, up to $3,000 in scholarships for dog parents, and 170 pet-friendly dorm rooms!
2. Stetson University
Location: DeLand, Florida
Website: https://www.stetson.edu
Stetson University is another university that allows a whole range of pets on campus, and they have two dorms on campus that are set aside for pet parents! Of course, the dog parents are the majority, but that could have something to do with the availability of a doggy daycare, a dog park, the opportunity to foster and train service dogs through the school, and the fact that the school has absolutely no weight or breed restrictions on the dogs they allow on campus!
3. Duke University
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Website: https://www.duke.edu/
Students at Duke University can bring harmless animals of any type on campus as long as they can be restrained in public! Yes, even wild animals are allowed. Sadly, though, Duke does not allow any animal other than fish (with a maximum tank capacity of 25 gallons) to live in dorms with students.
4. Johnson and Wales University
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Website: https://www.jwu.edu/
Students at Johnson and Wales University may bring their dogs, cats, rabbits, and aquatic pets to live with them in three campus residence halls. The college, known for its willingness to embrace new and unique programs that encourage growth, is still experimenting with its pet ownership program on campus, but so far, it’s been a hit!
5. High Point University
Location: High Point, North Carolina
Website: https://www.highpoint.edu/
Students at High Point University are permitted to have fish, dogs, and cats on campus, but there are restrictions on which dog breeds are permitted (“aggressive” breeds and breed mixes are not permitted). Pet parents must live in the North College Townhomes to own a pet, and they can only have one pet per townhome with a weight limit of 30lbs.
6. Lees-McRae College
Location: Banner Elk, North Carolina
Website: https://www.lmc.edu/
Students and teachers at Lees-McRae College may bring their pets on campus and into classrooms! Designated pet-friendly dorms are available; dogs must weigh 40lbs or less, and all dogs should be spayed or neutered because the campus prohibits breeding animals.
7. Principia College
Location: Elsah, Illinois
Website: https://www.principiacollege.edu/
Students at Principia College may bring a wide range of animals on campus, including dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and rodents! Rules apply, however: no pets are permitted on the athletic fields or in athletic buildings, all animals must be curbed, and every animal that is not contained must wear a valid identification tag.
8. Reed College
Location: Portland, Oregon
Website: https://www.reed.edu/
Students at Reed College can bring harmless, “contained” animals on campus, and dogs also have designated “off-leash” areas where they can roam. The campus is very centered on local wildlife, however, so it is important that your squirrel chasers keep their behavior in check! Dogs at Reed College must also be kept on-leash when in hallways, lobbies, and on paths through the campus facilities.
9. University of Northern Colorado
Location: Greeley, Colorado
Website: https://www.unco.edu/
Students at the University of Northern Colorado may have one cat or dog per dorm room; however, pet-friendly rooms are limited to three floors in one dorm. Students must also accept financial responsibility for any damage their dog causes. Dogs must also be 40lbs. or less, and certain “restricted breeds” are forbidden. Additionally, all dogs must be spayed or neutered.
10. University of Washington
Location: Seattle, Washington
Website: https://www.washington.edu/
Students at the University of Washington can live in any of four apartment buildings dedicated to family housing if they want their pets to live with them. The catch, however, is that three of those buildings only permit “aquatic” pets. That said, the campus is full of greenery and encourages students to interact with each other and their pets in green spaces.
11. Eckerd College
Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
Website: https://www.eckerd.edu/
Students at Eckerd College can choose from eight residential halls that allow pets, including dogs (under 40lbs), cats, birds, chinchillas, rabbits, ducks, and ferrets. Known as one of the most pet-friendly colleges in the country, Eckerd College even holds a pet graduation ceremony for pets whose owners are also graduating! The college also holds a blessing in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, and a local vet conducts biannual health checks on campus pets! This is the perfect pet-friendly destination for any student dog lover!
12. Lehigh University
Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Website: https://lehigh.edu
Students at Lehigh University may have dogs only if they live in a sorority or Fraternity house and the other housemates agree to have the pet live there. If you live in a house with your pet, campus policy requires you to provide up-to-date veterinary care, and your dog must be accompanied by a human whenever it is in a common area. Students should also know that the university will conduct a thorough investigation before they permit a dog to live in their sorority or fraternity houses.
13. Johnson and Wales University Providence Campus
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Website: https://www.jwu.edu/campuses/providence/index.html
Students at Johnson and Wales University Providence Campus may apply to live in pet-friendly housing where they may bring their dog as long as it is under 40lbs. The campus has restrictions on which breeds are permitted, with “aggressive breeds” prohibited, and dogs must be at least one year old. Students with dogs have access to over 350 miles of nearby coastline for walks, making this an ideal campus for exercise-hungry pups!
14. Arizona State University
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Website: https://www.asu.edu/
Students at Arizona State University are permitted to have dogs in their dorm if approved as a trainer for a service animal for that animal, or if the dog is confirmed as an emotional service animal. Dogs must be approved by the Disability Resource Center in order to live in the residence halls.
Unlike other college campuses on the list, Arizona State does not permit animals except for fish to live in dorms unless the animal is a service animal, emotional support animal, or a service animal in training.
15. The University of Illinois at Urbana
Location: Champaign, Illinois
Website: https://illinois.edu/
Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana are permitted to keep no more than two pets in the single Ashton Woods Housing unit. Dogs must be under 50lbs and no “vicious” or “Aggressive” breeds of dog are allowed to live on campus. Students must pay a $30 monthly pet fee for their dog which is not refundable and sign a pet agreement. All dogs must be kept up to date on vaccinations and have a valid rabies tag which is also recorded on file with the Family and Graduate Housing office.
16. Alfred State College of Technology
Location: Alfred, New York
Website: https://www.alfredstate.edu/
Students at Alfred State College of Technology are permitted to have family pets living with them on campus in select housing areas. Dogs must weight under 40lbs., be of certain breeds, and must be registered with Residential Life. Students are allowed just one pet and their dog must be one year old and have been part of their family for at least 10 months so that they may be properly acclimated. Pets must also be kept in good health and undergo annual registration.
Honorable Mentions
While these semi-animal-friendly colleges do not permit dogs on campus, they do allow their students to have other pets in their dorms or around campus.
17. Case Western Reserve University
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Pets Permitted: Students at Case Western Reserve University are allowed to have small caged animals, including rabbits and rodents.
18. University of Idaho
Location: Moscow, Idaho
Pets Permitted: Students at the University of Idaho are allowed to have birds, aquatic pets, and cats on campus.
19. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Pets Permitted: Students at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) are only permitted to have cats on campus in designated dormitories.
20. Middlebury College
Location: Middlebury, Vermont
Pets Permitted: Students at Middlebury College are only permitted to have small rodents and fish on campus in their dormitories, and they must be kept in cages or tanks. Other animals are allowed on campus in pet-friendly areas, but they are not allowed to stay overnight on campus.
21. Delaware Valley University
Location: Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Pets Permitted: Students at Delaware Valley University are allowed to keep up to two animals of the same species. So far all of those animals have been rodents, amphibians, snakes, and cats. All environments where pets are kept may be checked and must be approved if checked by the college.
22. University of Florida
Location: Gainesville, Florida
Pets Permitted: Students at the University of Florida are allowed to keep fish, chinchillas, geckos, hamsters, gerbils, non-poisonous frogs, salamanders, and lizards except iguanas and with a length limit of 6” from snout to vent. Cages for pets must be 3’x2’x2’ maximum.
23. Sweet Briar College
Location: Sweet Briar, Virginia
Pets Permitted: Students at Sweet Briar College are all female and may have only horses. The college holds an equestrian competition, and participation is the only way to board your horse on campus. The campus itself has 3,250 acres dedicated to equestrian activities and horses.
24. Earlham College
Location: Richmond, Indiana
Pets Permitted: Students at Earlham College are allowed to keep water-dependent and nonpoisonous amphibians if their tank is 20 gallons or less. Fish are also allowed in dorms if they live in a tank that is 20 gallons or less. Earlham also allows students to bring dogs on campus, but they are not permitted in academic buildings, dining areas, or dorms. Dogs on campus must also be supervised at all times.
25. Harvey Mudd College
Location: Claremont, California
Pets Permitted: Students at Harvey Mudd College may not bring dogs to live with them on campus, but they may bring gerbils, turtles, and hamsters as long as their roommate agrees. In addition, students must register their pet within seven days of bringing them on campus.
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