Take a year off, work, and save up

>>17302270
I'm not sure how the money works out, but it looks like you have enough to cover it. And are you somehow under the impression that every single private lender has the same restriction on when you can apply for a loan? That seems extremely unlikely.

You also have several months before school starts. Look for more work.

>>17302270
Here you go, anon:

Get rid of the “$26,500” total cost and the “$6,450 aid,” remove those numbers from your head.
Your total cost of tuition, fees, and books (if that TC is presented by your college), will be $13,600.

Now, each semester will cost $6,800 and you receive $6,480 per semester to cover it. You have a deficit of $320 (this you may not actually owe and can go towards books at your discretion) per semester. Now, let’s tack into the savings.

You have $5,000 saved and need to use $1820 of it on the first day, but you should not hang onto much of it, and you should pay 1-2 months up. Cut a check for $3,320 for 8/22-10/22, giving you a two-month head start on your bills and enough time to have loans processed.

You can even cut down on your tuition costs by taking less classes, in most calculations, those are for full-time students taking a 5 class load. You can squeeze by with less of a course load and taking (depending on your school) the 9cr minimum to keep your full-time status.

You should really speak to an adviser to help you manage this, only they can for certain tell you what you need to know.

Good luck.

>>17302270
Also, just make it through the first two semesters and do your best to keep your GPA as high as humanly possible.

This way, you can start applying for Merit Scholarships next semester and over Spring Break to bring in more funds your sophomore year.

I think you're overthinking it and perhaps getting a bit stressed.

1500 a month for housing...
Are you getting your own apartment or something?