Does paying for a college dorm count as paying rent?

What you pay for your college dormitory room is rent.  If other items (such as meals) are included, that portion would not be rent.

what if you paid via student loans?

Rent is not a deductible education expense, no matter how you paid for it.  Rent is not deductible on a Federal return.

Right, but are you considered to have paid rent?

Why are you asking? What are you trying to do?

nothing, when you use turbo-tax in the beginning it asks you to check off all of the things you paid for. One of those things is rent.

So you are just concerned with a check list?  If you paid rent, say yes.  Again, there is nothing you can deduct for paying rent on your Federal return.  So you are spending time worrying about something that will not affect your tax return.There is not a rent deduction or credit on your Federal return.  If your state has anything for renters you will be prompted to enter your rent info when you complete your state return.  As far as I know, the states that have anything for rent are Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.