Some colleges are trying a new strategy to help students feel more comfortable on campus: letting them have pets in the dorms. Several schools now welcome animals, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which allows cats, and the University of Northern Colorado, which permits dogs and cats under 40 pounds. Florida’s Eckerd College—where pets have been part of dorm life since 1973—has the most relaxed policy, allowing everything from geckos to rabbits. There are rules around pet residents: Most colleges require the animals to be healthy and vaccinated, for starters, and many charge annual fees. Research shows that having pets on campus reduces stress, anxiety, and homesickness. And caring for a pet can help students meet new people and learn responsibility, school officials say. “Having pets obviously isn’t for everyone, and that is totally OK,” Eckerd College senior Sophie Nocera told the Associated Press. “But for the people it is a good fit for, it is so worth it.”