A handful of students at Saint Mary's now have some furry friends to help get them through final exams.

Starting this year, the school is the only regional college or university to allow pets in dorms.

The option to live with small pets is open to seniors living in Regina Hall South.

The pets must fit a small set of reasonable criteria and must be registered with the university.

Saint Mary's has even dedicated a former courtyard as a pet park.

It is all part of an effort to help keep seniors on-campus.

"Just being able to come back, and even having the little bit of extra work that an animal requires, it's nothing compared to the joy of having the animal there with you in your room whenever you want it," said Saint Mary’s senior Mara Scott, who brought her cat to school.

"It's very de-stressing. It's wonderful to come home to something, especially because all of us are living in singles, so to come home to something that you can just play with, that you can talk to or whatever, it's really nice," said Saint Mary's senior Meghan O'Rourke, who brought her dog.

All of Saint Mary's expanded residential options, including the pet program, have helped boost the number of seniors staying on campus from 50 % to 75 %.