<p>Dear Financial Aid Professional,</p><p>According to recent research, nearly 4.4 million students who graduate from high school this decade will not be able to attend a four-year college because they believe they cannot afford it. As you know, scholarships play a critical role in helping deserving students bridge the financial gap to attend college. </p><p>This year, The Sallie Mae Fund®, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae® and dedicated to college access, will make education dreams a reality for roughly 1,000 underserved students planning to attend college in the fall by awarding more than $2.5 million in college scholarships. Applications for these scholarships are now available online at www.salliemaefund.org. </p><p>The face of higher education in America is changing. By the year 2015, the number of college-age</p><p>Americans will rise by nearly 5 million. Eighty percent of this growth will come from minorities, many of whom traditionally rely on financial aid programs. Research commissioned by The Sallie </p><p>Mae Fund has shown that thousands of these students are not enrolling in college because of the perception that college is out of reach. </p><p>The Sallie Mae Fund is trying to change this status quo by addressing three key barriers to higher education—awareness of financial aid, academic performance and financial need. Since 2001, </p><p>The Fund has awarded more than $10 million in scholarships to specifically address financial need among promising young students. </p><p>To be eligible for Sallie Mae Fund scholarship programs, students must be accepted and plan to enroll as an undergraduate at a Title IV eligible, approved, accredited, postsecondary, two- or four-year college or university, vocational or technical school in the United States or Puerto Rico, and meet program-specific eligibility requirements. </p><p>We encourage you to download and post the scholarship fact sheet and make your students aware of the applications for the 2007-2008 school year available at www.salliemaefund.org.</p><p>>> Download The Sallie Mae Fund Scholarship Fact Sheet (PDF, 84K) </p><p>Sincerely,</p><p>Kathleen deLaski</p><p>President, The Sallie Mae Fund </p><p>12061 Bluemont Way </p><p>Reston, VA 20100 </p>