University students are taking their pets into lectures and halls of residence to help them cope with the pressure of college life.

The University of Sussex has allowed an agoraphobic student to be accompanied on campus by a dog, and a prospective student at Canterbury Christ Church University has asked permission to take an “emotional support dog” into classes and halls of residence, Times Higher Education reported.

Increasing numbers of students with emotional and behavioural difficulties are entering higher education, academics at Liverpool John Moores University have found.

Dr Mark Taylor, senior lecturer in the university’s School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, carried out a study into the effects of having students with behavioural difficulties in lectures. It found that students with Asperger’s syndrome and mental health problems could disrupt learning for other students.

The trend for animals to accompany students in class began in the United States, where universities have faced legal action for trying to ban the practice.

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