Higher education leaders are warning that federal student loan changes tied to “One Big Beautiful Bill” implementation are being rolled out too quickly for institutions to build fully functional systems. A financial-aid administrator argues that final rules and stable guidance are not in place before the July 1 effective date, while software vendors say they cannot implement updates without regulatory clarity. The article describes how the aid operations peak season—when schools calculate eligibility, originate loans, and resolve compliance issues—is already underway. In the worst case, institutions may need to calculate significant parts of fall 2026 loan eligibility manually, increasing risk and workload during a period of high operational volume. The practical takeaway for higher-ed operators is that compliance timelines are driving operational improvisation, including Excel-based interim models and shared workarounds, rather than standardized, system-supported delivery.