Are there any dog-friendly colleges?
Heading to college, leaving behind family and friends is tough enough, but for many college students, leaving behind their four-legged best friend is even harder.
The good news is that there are several colleges that will allow students to bring their dog along with them.
Today, we’ll talk about the top colleges that will actually welcome your dog, too!
Top Dog-Friendly Colleges in the US
Note: Pet polices and requirements will vary from college to college.
Colleges may have limitations and/or restrictions on things like the breed of the dog, the size (weight) of the dog, the age of the dog, the number of dogs allowed and how long the student has had the dog.
Students will need to show proof that their dog is current on their vaccinations, that their dog has been spayed or neutered and that their dog is licensed with the local city, town and/or county.
Now that we’ve cleared all of that up, let’s look into those dog-friendly colleges!
Related: Pros and Cons of Dogs on College Campuses
Arkansas
1. Lyon College
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvcmnUql0n0/
Lyon College is a private liberal arts college in Batesville, Arkansas.
According to their Pet Policy, students are permitted to have dogs in Bryan Hall, a pet-friendly residence hall for upper-class students.
In an effort to become more pet-friendly, the college recently opened the on-campus Schram Memorial Bark Park, a fenced-in dog park.
Colorado
2. University of Northern Colorado
https://www.facebook.com/universitynortherncolorado/photos/a.132028370202468/2722176277854318/?type=3
The University of Northern Colorado is a public research university in Greeley, Colorado.
According to their Pet Friendly Housing Program, students can have their pet live with them on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors of Laurenson Hall, the campus’s suite-style, pet-friendly residence hall.
Florida
3. Eckerd College
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx2tfUFJgMJ/
Eckerd College is a private liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, Florida. According to their Pet Policy, students can have a pet on campus, after living on campus for at least one semester.
The college has 11 designated pet-friendly housing complexes where students can reside with their pet.
Of the 11 complexes, 4 (Nu, Omega, Sigma and West Lodge) allow pets in all units, while 7 (Beta, Delta, Epsilon, Gamma, Iota, Kappa and Zeta) allow pets in select units only.
4. Stetson University
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrlR_mKAj3i/
Stetson University is a private university in DeLand, Florida.
According to their Animal Housing Manual, students can reside with their pet in one of their 3 animal-friendly housing options
- Stetson Cove Apartments (residential apartment complex with 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments)
- University Hall (residence hall with 2-person rooms)
- Building 300 of University Village Apartments (residential apartment complex with 4-bedroom apartments).
Stetson Cove Apartments features an outdoor, fenced-in dog park.
Illinois
5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx2SzaGJzd3/
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public research university in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana.
According to their Pet Policy, students are allowed to live with their dog at Ashton Woods, an apartment-style residence hall.
On campus, dogs are allowed on the grounds (not any of the buildings) of the Arboretum on campus, as long as they are on a leash.
There are 2 dog parks that are close to the campus. The Urbana Dog Park is 2.9 miles from campus and the Champaign Bark District is 5.4 miles from campus.
Kentucky
6. Asbury Theological Seminary
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKiv8pVAy2Y/
Asbury Theological Seminary is an evangelical, multi-denominational, graduate institution in Wilmore, Kentucky.
According to their Townhouse Pet Policy, single students and students with families are allowed to keep their pet in the campus’s pet-friendly, on-campus, designated housing option.
This housing is the North Maple Townhouses, formerly called the Beeson Townhouses.
►►►Related:29 Stunning Dog-Friendly Hiking Trails in the U.S.◄◄◄
Massachusetts
7. Harvard University
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwH6wE7haDh/
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard University offers 12 Pet-Friendly Apartments.
Of these 12 apartments, 9 of them allow dogs in all units, while the other 3 only permit dogs in select units.
Students wishing to have their dog with them on campus must submit the campus’s Pet Authorization and Policies Rider.
Missouri
8. Stephens College
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxgFJefHcVT/
Stephens College is a private women’s college in Columbia, Missouri.
Stephens College has a Pet Program that allows students to have pets in one of the campus’s 5 residence halls (Pillsbury Hall, Prunty Hall, Roblee Hall, Searcy Hall (known as Pet Central) and Tower Hall.
The program also features an on-campus doggy daycare.
New York
9. Alfred State College
https://www.instagram.com/p/BojqIzphei5/
Alfred State College is a public college in Alfred, New York. The college is one of the 8 Colleges of Technology within the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
According to their Pet-Friendly Residence Policy, students are permitted to have their family pet live with them on campus.
There is one pet-friendly on-campus property- Robinson/Champlin Hall, a corridor-style residence hall.
►►►Related:9 Dog-Friendly Museums You Have to Visit!◄◄◄
North Carolina
10. Lees-McRae College
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk04oVZgmEZ/
Lees-McRae College is a private college in Banner Elk, North Carolina.
According to their Pet Policy, students can bring their dog to live with them on campus, after they’ve lived in college housing for 2 semesters.
Pets are allowed in 2 pet-designated residence halls (Baldwin Hall and McMillan Hall), as wells as on-campus apartments and main campus houses.
Pennsylvania
11. Lehigh University
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwnC4iWjxwU/
Lehigh University is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
According to their Pet Policy, pets are permitted in either one of the 14 fraternities or one of the 11 sororities. There is only one cat or one dog allowed, per house.
12. Washington & Jefferson College
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxA0ssjF1WN/
Washington & Jefferson College is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania.
According to their Pet House Manual, students can live with their dog in Monroe Hall (nicknamed “Pet House”), which is part of President’s Row Community, which offers 10 different housing options for upper-class students.
Rhode Island
13. Johnson & Wales University
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbh_pMbjcpF/
Johnson & Wales University is a private career-oriented university in Rhode Island.
There are 2 campuses associated with the university- the Downcity Campus is located in Providence and the subsidiary campus, Harborside, is located in nearby Cranston.
According to their Pet and Animal Friendly Community Living Guide, pets are allowed to live in 4 of the campus’s residence halls.
These include Harborside Village (Building F), Harbor View (Ground Floor), Renaissance Hall (3rd Floor) and Snowden Hall (1st Floor).
Washington
14. University of Washington
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvW6rLvDtJJ/
The University of Washington is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
The university has one pet-friendly housing option- Radford Court, an on-campus apartment complex for undergraduate students, graduate students, married students and students with children.
15. Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university in Pullman, Washington.
According to their Pet Policy, pets (dog or cat) are permitted in 2 on-campus apartment complexes.
At Nez Pearce Village, unfurnished pet-friendly units are available in buildings D, F, H, J and K. At Steptoe Village, pet-friendly units are available in buildings A, B, D, E and G.
While there may be other dog-friendly colleges out there, these came up the most often in our research.
One thing to remember: when we say “dog-friendly,” we’re talking about colleges that allow you to bring your pet dog.
Service dogs, by law, can go pretty much anywhere that their humans go, including college.
