Headed to college as a freshman? U.S. News & World Report lists some of the potential pitfalls to avoid. 
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https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/dont-make-these-mistakes-as-a-college-freshman

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The current administration is striving to make student loan relief programs work for everyone. Efforts to revise IDR(Income-driven repayment plan) regulations will produce substantially more affordable monthly payments for millions of borrowers. Recent actions complement steps the administration has already taken within its first year to cancel more than $17 billion in debt for 725,000 borrowers in addition to extending the student loan payment pause, saving 41 million borrowers billions of dollars in payments each month. The Department has now approved approximately:

• $6.8 billion for more than 113,000 public servants through improvements to PSLF(Public Service Loan Forgiveness program);
• $7.8 billion for more than 400,000 borrowers who have a total and permanent disability;
• $1.2 billion for borrowers who attended ITT Technical Institutes before it closed; and
• Nearly $2 billion to 105,000 borrowers who were defrauded by their school.

To make college more affordable for current and future students, President Biden has called for and Congress has included in bipartisan legislation a $400 increase in the maximum Federal Pell Grant—the largest increase in the maximum award in over a decade.
To protect students and taxpayers from predatory or low-value colleges, the Department has also restored the FSA Office of Enforcement and started efforts to strengthen key rules including borrower defense to repayment and gainful employment. 
The situation is continually updating so stay informed regarding these changes. For further information see the U.S. Department of Education and Federal Student Aid.

At one time essential for college applications, scores from admission tests like the SAT and rival ACT carry less weight today as colleges pay more attention to the sum of student achievements and activities throughout high school. 

There has also been criticism that the exams favor wealthy, white applicants and disadvantage minority and low-income students, and an increasing number of colleges have adopted test-optional policies  in recent years, which let students decide whether to include scores with their applications.

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the trend as testing sessions were canceled or inaccessible. However, the SAT and ACT are still deeply ingrained in the American high school experience. More than a dozen states require one of the exams to graduate, and prior to the pandemic 10 states plus Washington, D.C., had contracts with the College Board to offer the test during the school day for free to their students. 
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Nearly 80% of bachelor’s degree-granting institutions are not requiring test scores from students applying for fall 2022, according to a December tally by the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, a watchdog group that opposes standardized testing. The group, known as FairTest, said at least 1,400 of them have extended the policy through at least the fall 2023 admissions cycle.
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A number of colleges have started requiring students  to be vaccinated against covid-19  in order to  enroll in the fall.  Currently these include:

• American University, in Washington, D.C.
• Assumption University, in Massachusetts
• Boston University, in Massachusetts
• Bowdoin College, in Maine
• Brown University, in Rhode Island
• Cornell University, in New York
• Dartmouth College, in New Hampshire
• Duke University, in North Carolina
• Fairleigh Dickinson University, in New Jersey
• Fordham University, in New York
• Fort Lewis College, in Colorado
• Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C.
• Grinnell College, in Iowa
• Harvey Mudd College, California
• Ithaca College, in New York
• Johns Hopkins University, in Maryland
• Lasell University, in Massachusetts
• Manhattanville College, in New York
• Northeastern University, in Massachusetts
• Nova Southeastern University, in Florida
• Oakland University, in Michigan
• Paul Quinn College, in Texas
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in New York
• Roger Williams University, in Rhode Island
• Rutgers University, in New Jersey
• St. Edwards University, in Texas
• Saint Mary’s College, in Indiana
• Seattle University, in Washington
• Syracuse University, in New York
• University of Notre Dame, in Indiana
• Vassar College, in New York
• Wesleyan University, in Connecticut

This list will very likely continue to change, so check often to see the latest colleges. The Chronicle of Higher Education is  a good site to check for  the most up-to-date information. 

See how some colleges are trying to  provide more options for students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is  some news   from  The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Big Ten Colleges Start Course-Sharing Initiative
A new course-sharing initiative from the Big Ten Academic Alliance is aimed at offering students more educational opportunities during the pandemic. Beginning this fall, undergraduates at any institution in the Big Ten Academic Alliance   will be able to take an online course  from any other institution in the alliance, at no charge.
The arrangement will waive tuition and fees for one course each semester. Participating institutions include Indiana University at Bloomington, the University of Maryland at College Park, Michigan State University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Purdue University, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Rutgers University at New Brunswick. Students can  view the courses on offer  from each university and register for the class of their choice.