The issue may begin long before would-be entrepreneurs are even thinking about life after college. Many are in high school when they start to borrow and are not aware of how student debt might affect their finances later.

More than half of students did not bother to calculate their postgraduate loan repayments, according to a report by the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center at George Washington University, using data from the Finra Investor Education Foundation’s 2015 National Financial Capability Study.

According to a new study by NerdWallet, a financial tool website, nearly half of undergraduate students say that they could have borrowed less and still have afforded their educations. “On average, they said they borrowed $11,597 more than they needed for undergraduate study,” the NerdWallet report said.

Still, there are options for budding entrepreneurs facing credit challenges. Crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo.com and GoFundMe.com don’t ask for credit reports. Nor is there much, if any, paperwork. Sometimes, simple business concepts can attract thousands of dollars, although getting a lot more than that requires a strong promotional campaign that gets a lot of attention.

So-called angel investors can be found through city-based business incubators or sites like funded.com.

It’s possible, too, to consolidate student loans and make lower payments. The government has nine repayment options. For example, a borrower whose income drops postgraduation — or is too low to make payments — may qualify for an income-based repayment program. This option, however, has given rise to a questionable industry in which firms claim to offer loan “forgiveness” or consolidation for a fee. Experts note that changes to college-loan repayment plans are free and have to be processed through the government.

The nonprofit advocacy group Student Debt Crisis also has resources on how to track and repay loans and get answers to questions about repayment options.