The Student Loan Marketing Association (SLM Corporation), also known as Sallie Mae, is the largest student loan company for individuals attending college in the United States. It has several offices nationwide and a large base of borrowers. The company’s main purpose is to provide students loans that are federally guaranteed and originated by the Federal Family Education Loan Program. Sallie Mae supplies information on the financial aid process for students, parents, and school officials. The corporation also offers debt management services and products geared toward loan guarantors, or college and university clients.

Sallie Mae was established in 1972 as a government-sponsored enterprise, which is one of several institutions that conduct business on behalf of the U.S. government. In 1997, Sallie Mae began operating as a private entity and, in 2004, was completely released from being an enterprise of the U.S. government.

In addition to operating the private corporation, Sallie Mae supports The Sallie Mae Fund, a non-profit organization that focuses on increasing access to higher education for minority students and those who come from low-income families or are the first in their families to attend college. The organization accomplishes this mission by giving scholarships, and by creating and supporting existing programs whose overall goal aligns with its own.

The type of loan that one is eligible for depends on the person’s financial situation and student status (undergraduate student, graduate student, parent of a student, etc). Some of the loan types offered by Sallie Mae are:

--        Federal Stafford

--        Federal Perkins

--        Federal Parent PLUS

--        Federal Graduate PLUS

--        Sallie Mae Smart Option

For more information on how Sallie Mae can help you prepare for higher education and the financial resources they have available, visit the Sallie Mae Web site at www.salliemae.com.