BATON ROUGE — Southern University is planning to expand its housing options with a new $43 million residence hall for freshmen and sophomores, approved by the Louisiana Board of Regents in April, according to The Advocate.  

The dorm will feature four stories with room for about 500 beds, study rooms, common spaces on each floor and dining facilities.

Funding for the new dorm will come from private equity financing by the Southern University Foundation, which will lease the site to build the facilities, Southern Chancellor John Pierre said. 

The residence hall is part of a multiphase housing expansion at the school, according to the paper, with the second phase creating residential facilities for upper-level students. Those facilities will feature 350 beds in an apartment-style dorm with laundry machines and kitchenettes in each unit. 

The new student housing will also create a new quad featuring patios and recreation space, according to the university's proposal. Pierre said students wishing to live on campus will be assigned to the new residence hall first.

The entire expansion is expected to cost around $77 million. Southern hopes to complete the residence hall by fall 2027.