If your college student wants to vote, s/he should check the rules beforehand

Some places don’t count absentee ballots until after the election. It may cause a change in tight local elections, but unlikely to cause a change in the presidential election which was ‘called’ a week or more before. Some states have early voting, which is different. They use the same voting methods as are used in the voting places and just count what has been cast with the election day machines.