Pet-Friendly Colleges

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Pet-friendly colleges

Written by Mark Kantrowitz | Updated August 16, 2022

More than three dozen colleges allow dogs and cats on their campuses, even if they are not a service animal or emotional support animal. Other colleges limit students to fish, amphibians, lizards and small caged animals.

Service dogs and emotional support animals

There are two federal laws that specify whether colleges must allow service animals and/or emotional support animals on campus.

  • The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires colleges to allow service animals on campus and in the dormitories.
  • The Fair Housing Act (FHA) requires colleges to allow service animals and emotional support animals in campus housing.

These laws apply to both public and private colleges and universities.

Americans with disabilities act requirements

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), colleges are required to allow service animals on campus and in the dormitories. Service animals include dogs and miniature horses that have been trained to provide services related to a person’s disability. Emotional support animals are not considered to be service animals.

If the services provided by the service animal are not obvious, the college may ask whether the animal is a service animal and what services the service animal has been trained to perform. The college may not ask about the nature of the disability, ask for a demonstration, or ask for documentation of the disability.

Colleges may not require service animals to be registered with the college or a person to pay a fee for bringing a service animal on campus.

Colleges may ask for the service animal to be removed if the service animal is not housebroken or if the service animal is out of control. The request for removal must be based on the animal’s actual conduct, not speculation concerning the animal’s potential conduct or past conduct of other animals.

Fair housing act requirements

Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), colleges are required to allow service animals and assistance animals, including emotional support animals, in campus housing.

Emotional support animals are animals whose presence alleviates a person’s symptoms or disability. Unlike a service animal, an emotional support animal does not need to be trained to perform a specific task or service. For example, an emotional support animal may help with anxiety attacks.

Unlike the ADA, the Fair Housing Act does not limit the breed of service animals and assistance animals. Cats are allowed as assistance animals in addition to dogs and miniature horses.

If the resident’s disability is not apparent, the college may ask for documentation of the disability, such as a letter from a medical professional or social worker. However, the ADA prohibits this practice in connection with service animals, so this applies only to assistance animals that are not service animals.

Colleges may not require a resident to pay a pet deposit for a service animal or assistance animal.

Pet policies

Most colleges allow fish. Some colleges allow amphibians, reptiles and small caged pets, such as hamsters and chinchillas. Most do not allow cats and dogs.

Colleges may set their own rules with regard to pets that are not service animals or assistance animals. Some of the more common rules include:

  • The pet owner may be required to register the pet with the housing office.
  • The pet owner may be required to pay a pet deposit.
  • The pet owner may be required to get permission from roommates or other residents.
  • Some colleges limit pets to residents who live in a single room without roommates.
  • The college may require the pet to be housebroken.
  • The college may require that dogs and cats be spayed or neutered.
  • The college may require the pet be up-to-date on its vaccinations.
  • Certain aggressive or territorial dog breeds may be prohibited.
  • Carnivorous fish may be prohibited.
  • Pets that are poisonous, such as venomous snakes, may be prohibited.
  • The size of the pet’s tank or cage may be limited.

Even if a college doesn’t allow pets, some students will rent an apartment off campus so they can bring their dog or cat with them to college.

Colleges that allow dogs and cats

This table provides a list of colleges that allow dogs and cats, and was compiled by reviewing the pet policies of more than 1,000 colleges and universities. Each college’s name is linked to its pet policy. The colleges include both public and private colleges, including Ivy League colleges and other selective institutions.

College

Location

Alfred State University

Alfred, NY

Asbury Theological Seminary

Wilmore, KY

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN

Berry College

Mount Berry, GA

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Pasadena, CA

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)

Cleveland, OH

Chapman University

Orange, CA

Eckerd College

St. Petersburg, FL

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Iowa State University

Ames, IA

Johnson and Wales University

Providence, RI

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS

Lees-McRae College

Banner Elk, NC

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA

Lincoln Memorial University

Harrogate, TN

Lyon College

Batesville, AR

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)

Baltimore, MD

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Cambridge, MA

Moravian College

Bethlehem, PA

Pfeiffer University

Misenheimer, NC

Reed College

Portland, OR

Rice University

Houston, TX

South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

State University of New York at Canton

Canton, NY

State University of New York at Potsdam

Potsdam, NY

Stephens College

Columbia, MO

Stetson University

DeLand, FL

University of Idaho

Moscow, ID

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL

University of Nevada, Reno

Reno, NV

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, NC

University of Northern Colorado

Greely, CO

University of Texas at San Antonio

San Antonio, TX

University of Washington

Seattle, WA

University of West Florida

Pensacola, FL

University of Wyoming

Laramie, WY

Washington and Jefferson College

Washington, PA

West Liberty University

West Liberty, WV

Wilson College

Chambersburg, PA

ScrollSwipe to see full table

Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL) ran an April Fools Joke about being pet friendly.

Some of these colleges bring puppies and kittens on campus during finals week, to help alleviate stress and anxiety. For example, the MIT Puppy Lab brings puppies on campus in April and May. The Pet Away Worry and Stress (PAWS) program at the University of Minnesota brings cats, dogs and other therapy animals to campus.

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About the author

Mark KantrowitzMark Kantrowitz

Author

Mark Kantrowitz is a nationally-recognized expert on student financial aid, scholarships and student loans. His mission is to deliver practical information, advice and tools to students and their families so they can make informed decisions about planning and paying for college. Mark writes extensively about student financial aid policy. He has testified before Congress and federal/state agencies about student aid on several occasions. Mark has been quoted in more than 10,000 newspaper and magazine articles. He has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reuters, Huffington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Money Magazine, Bottom Line/Personal, Forbes, Newsweek and Time Magazine. He was named a Money Hero by Money Magazine. He is the author of five bestselling books about scholarships and financial aid, including How to Appeal for More College Financial Aid, Twisdoms about Paying for College, Filing the FAFSA and Secrets to Winning a Scholarship. Mark serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Student Financial Aid and the editorial advisory board of Bottom Line/Personal (a Boardroom, Inc. publication). He is also a member of the board of trustees of the Center for Excellence in Education. Mark previously served as a member of the board of directors of the National Scholarship Providers Association. Mark is currently Publisher of PrivateStudentLoans.guru, a web site that provides students with smart borrowing tips about private student loans. Mark has served previously as publisher of the Cappex.com, Edvisors, Fastweb and FinAid web sites. He has previously been employed at Just Research, the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Bitstream Inc. and the Planning Research Corporation. Mark is President of Cerebly, Inc. (formerly MK Consulting, Inc.), a consulting firm focused on computer science, artificial intelligence, and statistical and policy analysis. Mark is ABD on a PhD in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). He has Bachelor of Science degrees in mathematics and philosophy from MIT and a Master of Science degree in computer science from CMU. He is also an alumnus of the Research Science Institute program established by Admiral H. G. Rickover.

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