After a three-year pause, student loan repayments begin next week.

Some families, already stretching their dollars to cover basic living expenses, just can’t see their budgets handle another debt, but loans will require payment again starting Oct. 1.

Bill Wozniak, vice president of communications and student services for the Indiana nonprofit INvestED, which helps borrowers understand their obligations, make a repayment plan and reconnect with their student loan servicer, said other solutions are available.

“There have been, for years, many different types of income-driven repayment plans and different repayment plans for federal student loans,” Wozniak explained. “We talked to Hoosiers all the time that were or are eligible for a different payment plan.”

Borrowers who paused making payments at the start of the pandemic and recent college graduates will be required to begin repaying their loans. According to the research group the Education Data Initiative, Indiana borrowers owe roughly $30 billion in federal student debt. The average amount is nearly $33,000, and about half of borrowers are under age 35.

The cost of a post-high school education is one factor behind an increasing number of graduates’ decisions to delay, drop out without finishing, or not attend college at all. Universities and businesses are worried lower enrollment numbers will mean a less educated and less prepared workforce.

Wozniak argued a student’s inability to pay college tuition should not be a deterrent.

“Again and again, we hear from families saying, ‘There’s no way that I can make it happen. There’s not enough scholarship money for me, there’s not grant money for me,'” Wozniak outlined. “And also on the end of education, ‘OK, there’s no options for me, I’m just going to default on this loan, I have no path forward.’ And in most cases, that’s not the case.”

The Education Data Initiative reported college enrollment in Indiana has declined nearly 17% since 2010. Among all Indiana residents enrolled in college, close to 16% pursue work opportunities outside the state after graduating.