It's Not Too Late: Scholarships Still Available for Students Heading t

RESTON, Va., March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Sallie Mae, the No. 1 paying-for- college company, has good news for students going to college in the fall: plenty of scholarship money is still available to help pay for college. CollegeAnswer.com, Sallie Mae's online college-planning resource, gives students free access to the most accurate online scholarship search service, with a database containing more than 2.4 million scholarships worth in excess of $15 billion.

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Deadlines for many college scholarships will fall over the next three months as families of college-bound students are receiving their financial aid award packages from the schools to which they have been accepted. According to Scholarship Experts, the company powering CollegeAnswer.com's scholarship search tool, more than half of all scholarships listed in the award database are still available for fall 2005. These scholarships can supplement the amount of out-of-pocket expenses that families face to meet the cost of college.

"You do not have to be the class valedictorian or captain of the football team to get a scholarship for college," said Sallie Mae spokesperson, Martha Holler. "With a little time and effort, students can make paying for their dream school a whole lot easier. All it takes is a few clicks, and you have a wealth of scholarship information -- and free money -- at your fingertips."

Students can register for the scholarship search tool for free at CollegeAnswer.com. Once registered, students complete an online student profile form and answer questions about academics, family background, career interests, extracurricular activities, work experience, college plans and more. Within seconds of submitting the form, students receive a customized, online list of potential scholarships, including the award amount, eligibility criteria, deadline date and the provider's contact information. For additional scholarship information and support, students also can register at ScholarshipExperts.com to purchase its premium service which provides unlimited search results, online application tools, and e-mail notification of new matching scholarship results and application deadline dates.

Students who register for CollegeAnswer.com's free scholarship search service are automatically entered into a monthly $1,000 College Answer scholarship drawing. For more information on planning and paying for college, or to access College Answer's scholarship tool, visit http://www.collegeanswer.com/.

SLM Corporation , commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the nation's No. 1 paying-for-college company, managing more than $107 billion in student loans for more than 7 million borrowers. Sallie Mae was originally created in 1972 as a government-sponsored entity (GSE) and terminated all ties to the federal government in 2004. The company remains the country's largest originator of federally insured student loans. Through its specialized subsidiaries and divisions, Sallie Mae also provides debt management services as well as business and technical products to a range of business clients, including colleges, universities and loan guarantors. More information is available at http://www.salliemae.com/. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

About Scholarship Experts

Scholarship Experts is a service provided by Group 77, Inc. Headquartered in Orange Park, Fla., Scholarship Experts combines superior search technology with highly accurate scholarship information to provide students with customized lists of scholarship leads. Scholarship Experts lists only scholarships that have been researched and verified with scholarship providers. Their staff of professional data research analysts has established relationships with hundreds of scholarship providers across the globe in order to ensure accurate, up-to-date scholarship data. Their award database currently houses over 2.4 million scholarships worth over 15 billion dollars, and is expanded and updated daily. Scholarship Experts also protects the privacy of its users, and does not share or sell personal profile information to third parties. For more information on Scholarship Experts, visit http://www.scholarshipexperts.com/, or call (904) 278-0877.

Fact Sheet: Scholarships * Scholarships are funds to pay for higher education that do not need to be repaid. * Deadlines: Scholarship deadlines vary, but students looking for scholarships will find the following timeline helpful: start research in the fall; request applications and apply in the winter; receive notification in the spring; and identify other sources of financial aid to cover the cost of attendance during the summer. * Types: Scholarships can be based on academic performance, financial need, religious affiliation, minority status, heritage, community affiliations, or a unique set of criteria that is important to the organization providing funds, including: * Your high school or prospective college may award scholarships based on academics. * Ethnic organizations may provide scholarships to students sharing their ethnic backgrounds. * Many companies offer scholarships to children of their employees. * Some houses of worship and religious denominations offer scholarships for students planning a career in the clergy. * Some organizations sponsor scholarships to attract students to a field of study facing a worker shortage, or to encourage non- traditional or minority students to work toward a specific degree. * Requirements: Scholarships have different requirements, including: * Applicants may be required to write an essay, pass a written exam, or complete a project demonstrating their potential. * Some programs specify how scholarship funds must be used, set time restrictions for disbursing the funds, or set a ceiling on qualifying family income. * In most cases, the funds will be paid directly to the college. * Failure to meet certain requirements, such as maintaining a minimum grade point average (GPA), could jeopardize your ability to keep the scholarship. * Athletic scholarships are renewed annually. Recipients usually must continue to play the sport while maintaining a passing GPA. * Sallie Mae's Scholarship Application Tips: * Apply early and often: Students should not neglect smaller, local scholarships, which are often less competitive and can quickly add up. Students should strictly observe deadlines and even strive to submit applications early. * Be honest: Students should be completely truthful about grades, experiences, memberships, qualifications, family finances and other information. * Seek advice: Consult with students who have already won the scholarships for tips. * Carefully follow instructions: If the application asks for a 500- word essay, do not exceed this limit. * Be selective: Students should only apply when meeting the scholarship's minimum requirements. * Proofread: Review everything. Typos are a sure way not to be considered for a scholarship. * Enlist support: Students can supplement applications with personal letters of recommendation. * Follow up: Call to make sure the organization received the application and send a thank-you note. * Avoid scholarship scams: The Federal Trade Commission has warned consumers about the potential for scholarship scams. Sallie Mae can offer tips for avoiding such scams.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Martha Holler http://profnet.prnewswire.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=501699