News

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

More than 70 college-bound students attend free paying for college financial aid workshop

$1,000 scholarship awarded to local high school student for education costs

WESTBURY, N.Y., Oct. 27, 2006—Area high-school students and their families gathered for a free Paying for College workshop presented by The Sallie Mae Fund, the charitable arm of Sallie Mae, the nation's leading provider of education funding, and co-sponsored by the Commission on Independent College and Universities. The planning and paying for college seminar was held on Saturday, Oct. 14, at New York Institute of Technology's Riland Auditorium.

Holy Trinity sophomore Kristen Falcone won a $1,000 scholarship from The Sallie Mae Fund for use toward the cost of her higher education. "It was a welcome surprise because every bit helps," said the teenager's mother, Joan Falcone. "The seminar itself was very well done, very organized, and I liked how they emphasized the deadlines and how important it is to get the necessary paperwork in on time."

Paying for College provides students and their families with valuable information to help them with one of the biggest hurdles facing college-bound students: planning and paying for the college or university of their choice. Participants learn about the benefits of continuing an education beyond high school, how various types of financial aid (e.g., grants, scholarships, Work-Study, and loans) help make college affordable, and the resources available to help families prepare for the college admissions process. Attendees had the opportunity to speak with representatives from Adelphi University, Dowling College, Hofstra University, Long Island University, Molloy College, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), St. Joseph's College, and Webb Institute.

From 2001 to 2005, The Sallie Mae Fund contributed more than $2.8 million in grants to charitable organizations in New York and awarded more than $440,000 in scholarships to students attending New York colleges and universities. Sallie Mae employees contributed more than $740,000 in additional funding to nonprofit organizations in New York with The Sallie Mae Fund's Matching Gifts program.

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.