I don’t think OP should bring the dog, but I also don’t think this is a big deal, particularly if the dog is young (< 9 years old, give or take) and you are coming from an industrialized country. The chances of the dog having some undetected illness that’s big enough of an issue to get the animal put down is very, very unlikely. There might be some quarantining restrictions that you have to deal with. I wouldn’t say that the cost is like checking another bag - some airlines charge relatively hefty fees for transporting a dog internationally ($350+) - but if you’re moving to a place for 4 years, that fee might be worth it.
As far as finding a dog-friendly apartment in a college town, that’s not a big deal. College towns don’t just cater to students; they also have housing for the thousands of faculty, researchers, staff, and the staff of all the other businesses in the town that support the university (restaurants, hotels, entertainment, etc.) I live in a small college town and had no trouble finding an apartment that would accept my dog. I paid a $250 pet deposit and pay an extra $30/month in rent. It’s well worth it for me to have my furry friend, who is currently snuggled up against my leg. (Finding an affordable dog-friendly apartment in a large city, however, is a different story altogether. If you think you might want to go to college in New York, LA, San Francisco, Boston, etc., OP, then that makes it more difficult.)
For me, the issue comes in two places:
- If you need a lot of financial aid, your best aid bet is going to likely come in the form of on-campus housing. If a college gives you a huge scholarship more than likely they are going to require that you live on campus, and very few universities have pet-friendly on-campus housing. Even if you get a lot of outside aid, it might require the aid to go through the college, and the college can take several weeks to get any refund to you - you'll probably have to have paid at least two months' rent in that time.
- Time. You already own a dog, so you know that it takes lots of time. If you are at home with your parents, that's a few adults who are able to share the responsibilities. As a college student, there's a lot going on - constantly changing schedules, spontaneous activities with friends, potentially spring break trips, trips back home, etc. That can be stressful for a dog, but also stressful for you as you try to arrange your schedule around the dog. For example, when you go home for the holiday break and summer, what are you going to do? Are you going to pay the costly fees to bring the dog back and forth with you every time (and also poor dog, if he's big, because that's the cargo hold for him)? Or are you going to get a pet sitter to watch him for an extended period, which will be expensive?
I love dogs, but I deliberately waited until I had finished graduate school to adopt one because your schedule is so hectic and changeable that it makes it difficult to really be with a dog the way you should - not just attend to its basic needs, but walk it, take it to the dog park, socialize it, and participate in ongoing training or activities.