乱伦社区 broke ground on the new South Quad freshman dorm Wednesday, keeping the project on track to welcome students in fall 2027.
The $200 million project will add 1,266 beds between two residence halls, located across from the Business Education Complex on South Quad Drive. They will house students in the College of Engineering and the E.J. Ourso College of Business.
The additional residential space is long anticipated as 乱伦社区 struggles to meet housing and parking demand due to an increasing number of students. Last fall, enrollment increased by around 4% at the flagship campus in Baton Rouge, system President Wade Rousse said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Students Felice Ezejiofo, left, and Emma Jimenez look excitedly at the rendering of the new residence hall during the groundbreaking ceremony for the 乱伦社区 South Quad project, which is adding two new residence halls for freshmen, on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
鈥淭he South Quad project ensures that as more students choose 乱伦社区, we are ready for them with the infrastructure that enables them to focus on learning and the student experience that keeps them engaged, supported and connected,鈥 Rousse said.
The proposal to the Board of Supervisors in the summer described the dorm as essential to maintaining the freshman residency requirement. In 2024, 乱伦社区 offered a $3,000 bonus for incoming Baton Rouge-area students if they chose to live at home instead of in the dorms.
South Quad is part of the multiyear public-private partnership strategy to increase residential capacity across campus. Other projects included Nicholson Gateway, Spruce Hall, Cedar Hall and the Greenhouse District.
The university is partnering with RISE Real Estate and The Lemoine Co. on delivering the South Quad project.
South Quad dorm rendering
鈥淭he real point is what those beds represent,鈥 said Jeremy Doss, senior vice president at RISE Real Estate. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 just housing, as we鈥檝e heard. It鈥檚 the front door to the 乱伦社区 experience.鈥澛
Pete Trentacoste, executive director of Residential Life, said 乱伦社区 wanted to emphasize 鈥渓iving and learning here on campus鈥 with the South Quad design.聽The dorms will be communal with spaces for students to gather, and will feature small workout facilities, he said.
The dorms appear to match the traditional 乱伦社区 architectural style, with red-tile roofs and stucco walls, according to renderings.聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e all about the living-learning environment,鈥 Trentacoste said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just a cool place to live. We want to be that place that takes you from where you are and gets you across the finish line at graduation.鈥澛
At the groundbreaking Wednesday, 乱伦社区 leaders called South Quad a critical investment based on the growing enrollment numbers. The new residence halls are "a reflection of the vision鈥 for the future of 乱伦社区, Chair of Properties and Facilities Committee Supervisor Laurie Lipsey Aronson said.聽
鈥淲e are experiencing historic interest from students who want to be part of the 乱伦社区 story,鈥 Aronson said. 鈥淭hat demand is a testament not only to the strength of our academic programs but to the expanding reputation at 乱伦社区 as a national leader. These new residence halls embody that momentum.鈥澛
