ktsnake, have they actually applied that test to a dog or cat??
Several people in my dorm kept cats. The only pets we were allowed were fish... one guy actually named his cat Fish so that if he were asked if he had any pets, he could truthfully say, "Just Fish."
My dorm had suites - usually people with cats would let their cat have the run of the common areas and keep the suite door closed, so the cat had a little more space to run around in. (Kept the mouse problem down, too!
)
I would be very careful with a dog. They need a lot of attention and care, much more so than cats. If you leave a dog alone all day in a small dorm room, he is not going to be a happy dog.