Taylor University plans to build a new dorm by Fall 2027, Julia Hurlow, dean of campus life, said. It will be built where the Ferdinand Freimuth Administration Building currently stands.
The dorm will have 275 beds. Though it will be completely finished by Fall 2027, 117 beds will be finished by Fall 2026. Hurlow is thrilled at this fast pace, she said. The 117 beds that are available will house students by Fall 2026, and the second half of the building will be in use by Fall 2027.
Room squatting and room draw will begin Feb. 2026 for Fall 2027, like all other residence halls, Hurlow said.
The name of the new residence hall will be announced by December 2025.
The dorm will be co-ed, with two wings, Josiah Peterson, director of residence life, said.
The future dorm will be sandwiched between the Taylor University Campus Store and Campbell Hall, Peterson said.
As Taylor grows, a new dorm will provide more space for students desiring dorm life.
This year, students applying for dorms were placed in townhouses due to a lack of space in the dorms. Hurlow said she hopes the new dorm will create a place for everyone at Taylor.
“We believe in traditional residence halls, and we believe in people having that opportunity to live there,” she said. “We're excited to see how that continues to give students the opportunity to create community.”
Marina de Castro Vasconcelos, junior business management major, also hopes the new dorm contributes to the solution. De Castro Vasconcelos, who transferred to Taylor for the Fall 2025 semester, was denied dorm life and placed in Campbell Hall shortly before the school year started.
Taylor’s phenomenal dorm culture was one of the main reasons she’d decided to transfer, so this was disappointing and frustrating, she said.
“Not being able to be in a dorm, it was a little upsetting, for sure,” de Castro Vasconcelos said. “It was too quiet for me, and just felt like moving into a dorm was the best option.”
De Castro Vasconcelos asked the Lord to work through her experience.
She joined a dorm waiting list. After a week and a half, Taylor’s residence life faculty found a place for her in Bergwall Hall.
De Castro Vasconcelos moved there shortly after. She loves the dorm and is grateful for the lively communal space.
However, not all students are able to move to a dorm like de Castro Vasconcelos.
The new dorm’s space will provide more opportunities for students longing to live in the dorms, Peterson said.
As Freimuth Administration Building moves to accommodate the new residence hall, the various departments it contains will relocate to the basement of Zondervan Library and a church in downtown Upland, Hurlow said. Some of these departments will relocate as Taylor’s Welcome Center’s renovations finish and provide additional space.
Taylor’s Senior Leadership Team spearheads the dorm’s construction, with Keith Cocking, senior director of construction services, heading up construction logistics. Taylor’s finance, business and student development departments are also involved in the transition, Hurlow said.
Peterson loved the excitement, questions and curiosity students expressed following the announcement of a new dorm.
“It's been really cool to see how students want to know more,” he said.
Hurlow encouraged anyone curious about this new student residence to reach out with questions.
She also welcomed students interested in participating in building this new community to reach out.
“We would welcome anyone interested in being part of that community to come let us know,” she said. “The PA application’s out, the DA applications are out for these positions. So we're excited for students to lead and offer other students the opportunity to create a new environment and to create a home in that process.”
