The summer before college involves more than packing. This is the window for reviewing your financial aid, completing housing applications, registering for orientation, handling health records, and understanding the federal loan changes that take effect July 1, 2026. Missing these steps doesn't just create headaches—some have financial consequences that follow you into the school year.

Note: This is a seasonal advice post, not a breaking news article. It's written for students who have committed to a college for fall 2026 and want to know what to handle before August move-in.

Congratulations. You're in. Now the actual work starts—and most of it has nothing to do with packing.

The summer between high school and college is one of the most logistics-dense periods a student and family will navigate. Deadlines pile up. Financial aid decisions need revisiting. Administrative forms quietly expire if you don't submit them. And this year, major changes to federal student loan rules take effect on July 1, 2026—right in the middle of your summer.

Here's what to tackle, broken into three categories: financial, administrative and academic, and social.

Financial Steps (Do These First)

Revisit your financial aid award letter before July 1.

If you haven't already, sit down with your financial aid award letter and calculate your actual out-of-pocket cost for year one. The sticker price is not what you'll pay. The net price—tuition and fees minus grants and scholarships—is what matters. Loans are not aid; they're debt you'll repay.

The average cost of room and board at a four-year college in 2025–26 was $15,068—$8,196 for housing and $6,205 for a meal plan—not including tuition.1 Make sure your budget includes all of it, not just what the award letter highlights.

Understand the July 1, 2026 federal loan changes.

This matters for incoming students too, even though you're only starting. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), several federal financial aid rules changed effective July 1, 2026:

  • A new $257,500 lifetime federal loan cap applies to all students across all years of study2
  • The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) replaces most income-driven repayment plans for loans taken after July 1
  • Parent PLUS loans are now capped at $20,000 per year per student, with a $65,000 lifetime limit per student2

If your parents planned to borrow more than $20,000 in Parent PLUS loans for your first year, they need to talk to your school's financial aid office immediately. The previous limit was effectively the full cost of attendance. That's no longer the case.

Contact your financial aid office about any remaining gaps.

If your aid package doesn't cover your full cost and you're unsure how to bridge the difference, talk to financial aid before the school year starts—not after your first bill arrives. They have more flexibility before enrollment than after. Also, comparing offers between schools isn't just for accepted students; you can still negotiate.

Administrative and Academic Steps

Complete your housing application. Many schools have June deadlines for room selection. If you haven't logged into your housing portal, do it today.

Submit health and immunization records. Most colleges require proof of certain vaccinations (meningitis, MMR, Tdap, and often flu or COVID boosters) before you can move into housing. These can take time if you need to visit a doctor or track down records from your pediatrician.

Register for new student orientation. Spots fill up. Orientation determines your class registration window. A later orientation slot can mean worse course availability, which can mean longer time to graduation.

Check your AP and IB scores. AP scores from this year's exams release on July 6, 2026, per College Board. Know what scores your school accepts for credit and at what level. Some departments require a 4 or 5; others accept a 3. Review your school's AP credit policy before assuming you've placed out of required courses.

Take any required placement tests. Many schools require math, foreign language, or writing placement before registration. Check your portal.

Social and Logistical Steps

Find your roommate and communicate. Most schools release housing assignments in June or July. Introduce yourself. Coordinate who's bringing what to avoid four coffee makers in a 12-by-15 room. But also: don't over-plan or over-share. The relationship will develop in person.

Open a bank account and build a college budget. If you don't already have a checking account, set one up at a bank with branches or ATMs near campus—or use a fee-free online account. Know how much you'll have each month for personal expenses, and how much student loan disbursement (if any) arrives and when.

Get a summer job, if possible. Even a few weeks of work before August can meaningfully reduce what you need to borrow. Every dollar saved now avoids interest later.

What to Understand About Room and Board Costs

Room and board is often the surprise expense in first-year budgets. The average figures above are for a typical 4-year institution. At private universities, the combined cost frequently exceeds $18,000 per year. At schools in high cost-of-living cities, $20,000+ is common.

If you're concerned about how much debt is reasonable for your situation, the commonly cited guideline is: don't borrow more in total than your expected starting salary in your first year out of college. This summer is a good time to research that number.

Use the Full Summer

Your college planning checklist doesn't end when you get in. Enrollment is the beginning of a new planning phase—and the summer between high school and college is the only time you'll have to get it right before the stakes become real.

The students who struggle most in the first semester aren't usually the least prepared academically. They're the ones who showed up surprised by cost, overwhelmed by logistics, or unprepared for the transition to dorm life. The checklist above takes care of the logistics. You'll have plenty of time to handle the rest once you're there.

Footnotes

  1. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2026). Average cost of room and board rates charged for full-time students at degree-granting postsecondary institutions. Digest of Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/ ↩

  2. U.S. Department of Education. (2026). Big Updates: One Big Beautiful Bill Act Student Aid Changes. Federal Student Aid. https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/big-updates ↩ ↩2