The project began with John Schmidt, senior vice chancellor for advancement and external relations and an active member of the Roman Catholic Church.

In early public discussions about the dorm, Mr. Schmidt said the university would give preference to students who were Christian and maintained an active spiritual life. Students of non-Christian faiths were not to be excluded “if there was space available,” he said in interviews with local news outlets.

Mr. Schmidt, in an interview, said he had misstated the rules. The dorm is open to all students who meet some minimum requirements.

Religion is central to many of the 2,200 students who live on campus, and most of the residents in the dorm are practicing Protestants. Announcements about Bible studies are written in chalk in front of buildings on campus, and the new hall is a short walk to what people here call Church Row, an area that is home to several Christian campus ministries.

Nearly 48 percent of Troy University freshmen said they attended religious services frequently, compared with a national average of about 29 percent of freshmen at public four-year institutions, according to the 2012 annual survey of college freshman prepared by the University of California, Los Angeles.

That survey and other recent examinations of religion among young people show that while there is a growing interest in spirituality on college campuses, only about a third of those surveyed nationwide identified themselves as religious. That figure is almost certainly higher in the Deep South.

Residents said the dorm provided a way for people of different faiths — or no faith at all — to mingle and learn more about each other’s beliefs. Some said they found support and guidance living among people who shared Bible-based values.