RESTON, Va., March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Sallie Mae (NYSE: SLM) today
announced the development of wiredscholar.com -- a major new Internet
destination that will provide college-bound students, parents and guidance
professionals with a comprehensive "going-to-college" resource.
Wiredscholar.com will go live in mid-April and will be the most inclusive
online resource for college preparation, evaluation, selection, application
and financing information.
Wiredscholar.com represents a completely new online business for Sallie
Mae and is designed to be an objective and interactive tool for the nearly
five million students planning for college each year. Wiredscholar.com's
content and functionality resulted from extensive research and discussions
with students, parents and guidance professionals. Sallie Mae worked with IBM
and Iconixx to build wiredscholar.com. IBM is the world leader in e-business
solutions and Iconixx is a leading Web development and design firm.
"As we interviewed people directly involved in planning for college, we
learned that there was no single Web site that helped students and parents
navigate through the entire process," said Paul Carey, executive vice
president, Sallie Mae. "Wiredscholar.com has the content that will help
individuals with all phases of pursuing a higher education, from early
planning and estimating costs to applying online for federal education loans."
Wiredscholar.com's partnerships with leading education and technology
companies such as Embark.com, Achieva, Kaplan, Peterson's (petersons.com), and
VarsityBooks.com will expand the content and consumer reach of the site,
making it the most comprehensive and accessible resource available to
consumers interested in planning and paying for college. The paying for
college content on wiredscholar.com is based upon Sallie Mae's 26 years of
experience in the education finance industry. The site will leverage the
company's leading loan origination and servicing capabilities to allow users
to apply for student loans in sync with the financial aid processes colleges
and universities currently utilize.
Wiredscholar will operate as a separate brand within the existing
corporate structure of Sallie Mae. The company's Web site, salliemae.com,
will be the key resource for corporate information and for online features
that serve its existing borrowers and school and lender partners.
Sallie Mae, founded 26 years ago, provides funds for educational loans,
primarily federally guaranteed student loans originated under the Federal
Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). The company currently owns or manages
student loans for 5.3 million borrowers and also provides parents, students
and educators with comprehensive information on the financial aid process.
Through its specialized subsidiaries and divisions, Sallie Mae also provides
an array of consumer credit loans, including those for life-long learning and
K-12 education, and business and technical outsourcing services for colleges
and universities nationwide. More information is available at
http://www.salliemae.com.
SOURCE Sallie Mae
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Related links:
http://www.wiredscholar.com
http://www.salliemae.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/147826.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 147826
CONTACT:
Denise Rossitto, 703-810-7156 or Molly
Sullivan, 703-810-7157, for Sallie Mae
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