Dogs Can Go To College? Yes They Can at Ferris State!

That is correct, Ferris State University, in Big Rapids, is welcoming students back and their dogs! Actually, dogs, cats, and other furry friends.

No university in Michigan has ever done this before: Allow students to bring a pet to their residence hall. But university leaders are trying a new tool to help students struggling with anxiety and homesickness by allowing their pets to live with them.

It's a pilot program launched this school year, 2023-24, and for students who live on the second floor of Cramer Hall. Students' pets will be able to stay with them for the entire school year.

WZZM reported that many colleges across the country let students have aquariums in their dorm rooms and have processes to allow emotional support and service animals, while others partner with local agencies to bring puppies to campus for a few hours to help students relax during stressful times like final exams. But allowing pets to stay in the dorm has never been done in Michigan before.

Lisa Ortiz, Ferris State’s director of Housing and Residential Life, said:

“We know many students struggle with depression, anxiety and homesickness when they start college, and sometimes the answer is to bring a little bit of home with them.  Students may really miss that dog they’ve had since they were a little kid, or that cat they got when they were 12 years old.”

The students who bring pets will have to pay a $250 fee and must follow a set of rules to keep their animals under control as well as cleaning up after them.

Students must also show proof that they have owned the animal for at least six months, as an additional requirement to bring a pet, and must provide veterinary records to show the pets have been spayed or neutered and have the necessary shots.

Students are starting to move in today and tomorrow, August 24 and 25, and so maybe are Fido and Fluffy!

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