Sallie Mae Brings Financing Solutions to International Student Market

RESTON, VA – Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading paying-for-college company, today announced a new initiative to offer financing programs tailored to the needs of international students. To lead this effort, Lynn Ross will rejoin the company as vice president, international student lending, effective Feb. 9, 2005.

The new program will fill a growing and largely unmet need in the student loan marketplace by providing funding solutions for foreign students attending school in the United States. In addition, Sallie Mae will build on the financing options available to U.S. students when they attend an institution abroad.

Ross has been a leader in the student loan industry for more than 20 years. She comes to Sallie Mae from JP Morgan Chase, where she led the sales and marketing force for the Bank One education lending brand. In 2000 Ross joined Education One Group, Inc., the exclusive representative for Bank One education loans and a then-subsidiary of USA Group, later acquired by Sallie Mae. During her tenure, Ross helped lead Bank One to the No. 1 originator in the Federal Family Education Loan Program. She served as executive vice president of sales and marketing for EOG before being named president and chief executive officer in 2001. Ross began her career in the student loan industry in 1984 as a member of USA Group’s marketing department.

“We are pleased to bring Lynn’s expertise back to the Sallie Mae family,” said Barry Goulding, senior vice president of sales management, Sallie Mae. “Her marketing and industry savvy, along with her interest in international financing for students, will be a formula for success for Sallie Mae as it brings financing solutions to this growing market.”

Ross earned a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and a master’s degree in education from Indiana State University. She is a member of several state, regional and national associations for financial aid administrators.

Ross will be based in Indianapolis, Ind.

SLM Corporation (NYSE: SLM), 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 www.salliemae.com. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.