Clayton State University students will return to campus Aug. 18 to find classmates rolling out of bed and dashing to class.

The Morrow commuter school will open its first residence hall on Monday.

Megan Matteucci/mmatteucci@ajc (ENLARGE)

One of the common rooms at Laker Hall, the new dorm at Clayton State. Freshmen enrolled full time at the school will be required to live in the residence hall.

Clayton State University (ENLARGE)

The residence hall at Clayton State University is nearing completion for opening in the fall.

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Laker Hall, the largest building on the 6,000-student campus, will house 450 students and the university's housing director. As of Wednesday, 380 students had signed lease agreements, said university spokesman John Shiffert.

Students will live in 108 four-bedroom suites, complete with two bathrooms and a kitchenette. The furnished suite is about 1,100 square feet and has wireless Internet service.

The dorm also includes 18 single rooms for residence advisers, upperclassmen to assist the freshmen. Laker Hall also houses a café, several study lounges, game rooms, laundry area and a multipurpose room.

For the first time in the university's 39-year history, all first-time freshmen who are enrolled full-time will be required to live on campus, Shiffert said. Exceptions will be made to students who are over 21, married or have children and students at the Fayette campus.

Room and board will be $7,800 and includes a meal plan. That's in addition to the $3,582 tuition for students in Georgia or $12,186 tuition for out-of-state students.

The state Board of Regents approved the $21 million residence hall last year, Shiffert said. Construction on the 178,000-square-foot dorm started in July 2007 and is just about complete.

Furniture and the residence advisers will move in on Monday. Students will move in Aug. 14, four days before classes start.

This spring, the average age of the Clayton State student body was 28. The university is continuing to target adult and commuter students, but wants to expand to include the typical college experience, Shiffert said.

"It's part of our strategic plan to improve student success, which means better retention of students and better graduation rates," he said. "Studies show that freshmen who live on campus do better in courses, graduate sooner and have a better experience."

Clayton State is the last university in the state University System to add on-campus housing. Dalton State College, Gainesville State College, Georgia Gwinnett College and Macon State College are the only four-year state colleges that do not have residence halls, according to the state Board of Regents.