President Obama may soon sign into law a new student-loan bill that reduces rates for brand new borrowers. But the rising cost of college will surely continue to hit students where it hurts: Their future.

College students who funded their education with borrowed money, left school in 2011 with an average $26,600 in student-loan debt, up 5 percent from $25,250 in 2010, according to the latest report from the Project on Student Debt at The Institute for College Access & Success.

Saddled with such a hefty debt load, many young entrepreneurs might put off or even forgo starting up, as launching and failing may put them in an even worse lurch. For those who proceed, they’re forced to juggle heaping monthly payments with the costs of starting a business. It’s a challenge some shy away from, but there are routes millennials can take to startup without student-loan debt wrecking their companies.

Click here to read more about how young entrepreneurs can eliminate or reduce their debt loads.