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Students at a Paying for College Bus Tour stop, Reading, PA

The Sallie Mae Fund awards $2.6 million in college scholarships to more than 1,000 students nationwide this fall

Applications reach record level for The Funds programs; 4,000 college-bound students have received $10 million in scholarships from The Fund since 2001

RESTON, VA., Nov. 7, 2006—The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, today announced that it has awarded $2.6 million in scholarships to more than 1,000 hard-working students enrolled in college this fall.

These awards are part of The Fund's efforts to increase access to higher education for lower-income and minority students by addressing three common barriers—awareness of financial aid, academic performance and financial need.

"We know that for a lot of promising young adults, meeting the cost of college often seems impossible," said Kathleen deLaski, president, The Sallie Mae Fund. "The Sallie Mae Fund's scholarship programs make a difference for students each year in bridging the financial gap."

This year more than 14,000 completed applications were submitted by college-bound students from across the country, a significant jump from the previous year.

"It was never a question of whether I was going to college but where and how to pay for it," said Monica Escobar, a senior at Georgetown University and a 2006 First in My Family scholarship recipient. "My dad has worked at the same job for 20 years and still struggles to pay the bills. Both my parents came to the United States in hopes of a better life and they know that college is the key to a brighter future."

By 2015, there will be an additional 5 million college-age individuals in the United States. Approximately 80 percent of this growth is projected to come from minority populations with greater financial need. To help meet these needs, The Sallie Mae Fund provides scholarships through a number of programs, including:

First in My Family Scholarship Program: The Sallie Mae Fund developed the First in My Family program in partnership with the Hispanic College Fund in 2001. This year, 178 Hispanic-American students who are the first in their family to attend college received scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000.
Unmet Need Scholarship Program: Open to families with a combined income of less than $30,000, Unmet Need scholarships provide a last-dollar resource when no other funds are available. This year, The Sallie Mae Fund awarded more than $1 million to help 295 students bridge the financial need gap.
American Dream Scholarship Program: The American Dream program was developed in partnership with the United Negro College Fund, and offers scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 to African-American students with demonstrated financial need. This year, 186 African-American students received a total of $500,000 in scholarships.
The Sallie Mae 911 Education Fund: Created in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, this fund provides scholarship dollars to children of those who were killed or permanently disabled in the attacks. This fund also provides grants, which enable spouses of those who were killed or deemed permanently disabled in the attacks to pay off their Sallie Mae education loans. This year, The Fund provided scholarships of $2,500 to 18 students.
Community College Transfer Scholarships: Offered in collaboration with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, this program provides last-dollar scholarships to Latino students transferring from a community college to an approved, accredited higher education institution. This year, 36 students won awards ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.
Writers of Passage Scholarship: In partnership with the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, this essay competition awarded four students from an Historically Black College or University, or a predominantly black college, with a $5,000 college scholarship. Universities of scholarship winners each received a $20,000 grant from The Sallie Mae Fund.
The Imagine America II Scholarship Program: This program extends a renewal scholarship to existing career college students who received the Imagine America scholarship, to continue pursuit of their postsecondary career education. This year, 40 career college students received $1,000 scholarships with The Funds support.

"Even though they don't know you, they believe in you," said Oklahoma scholarship winner Thelma Ramirez about The Sallie Mae Fund. "I used to clean chalkboards for books in hopes of one day going to college. Now I am a pre-law major at a prestigious Ivy League college."

In addition, The Fund awards scholarships ranging from $250 to $1,000 to future college students at each of its nationwide Paying for College workshops. Nearly $100,000 has been distributed to 136 students since the beginning of the year. Scholarship renewals and Sallie Mae Family scholarships account for the remainder of the awards.

"It's not just the financial support, but its also encouraging to know that a big organization like The Sallie Mae Fund supports you," said 2006 Unmet Need scholarship winner and Spelman College junior Leanna Pearson. "It may seem out of your reach, but once you take that first step and apply, you quickly see how worthwhile it all is."

For a complete listing of 2006 scholarship recipients and the schools they are attending, or for 2007 scholarship information, please visit www.salliemaefund.org.

The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission—to increase access to a post-secondary education for America's students—by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, prepare families for their investment, and bridge the gap when no one else can. For more information visit www.salliemaefund.org.