Together the Companies Will Enhance College Planning Tools, Help Families Jumpstart College Savings With Upromise Rewards
As planning for and choosing the right college are more important than ever, Sallie Mae has partnered with ConnectEDU to help high school students successfully plan for college and a career of their choice. The companies will work together to develop innovative financial planning products and services to enable students to create a free step-by-step college and career path, and to encourage them to save for college.
ConnectEDU's web-based service offers academic planning, college selection, and career opportunities to more than 5 million high school and college-aged students through a growing network of over 100,000 high schools, colleges and employers.
"This partnership provides an exciting opportunity to drive a paradigm shift in the way students learn critical financial concepts and how those concepts unfold at the intersection of their education, career, and financial planning," explains ConnectEDU CEO, Craig Powell. "With Sallie Mae tools, like the Upromise college savings program, we are even better positioned to provide comprehensive, student-centric planning resources in a single destination, leading to informed student decisions and smart financial planning."
ConnectEDU's national platform and products help students assess and match their interests and strengths with potential schools and careers, as well as evaluate their prospective investment. Students can search for scholarships, grants and financial aid opportunities and easily complete financial aid applications. Now through this partnership, ConnectEDU will feature Sallie Mae's Upromise rewards service to encourage students and their families to save for college.
Free to join at Upromise.com, members have earned more than $660 million in cash for college, including $64 million in 2011 alone. Money earned from everyday spending goes directly into a Upromise account and can be invested in a tax-deferred 529 plan, deposited into a Sallie Mae high-yield savings account, used to help pay down a Sallie Mae eligible student loan, or requested by check.
"College is a major lifetime investment and we encourage families to approach it with their financial resources and potential post-graduate income in mind," said Jack Remondi, president & COO, Sallie Mae. "Sallie Mae is excited to partner with ConnectEDU to expand the ways we can help students of all income levels pursue college."
Sallie Mae (NASDAQ:SLM)is the nation's No. 1 financial services company specializing in education. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae turns education dreams into reality for its 25 million customers. With products and services that include college savings programs, scholarship search tools, education loans, tuition insurance, and online banking, Sallie Mae offers solutions that help families save, plan, and pay for college. Sallie Mae also provides financial services to hundreds of college campuses as well as to federal and state governments. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.
ConnectEDU, Inc. is the web-based leader in empowering students to manage their education, launch their careers, and secure a more stable financial future. Created, developed and run by people who have worked in every area of college counseling, admissions, and career development, ConnectEDU uses information technology to connect real students and real data with real colleges, and real career opportunities. ConnectEDU makes the college admissions process simpler, more efficient, more reliable and more effective. The company's approach gives every student, from every neighborhood across the country, the best opportunity to achieve their dream of a college education and promising career.
Contacts:
For Sallie Mae
Debby Hohler, 617-454-6741
dhohler@upromise.com
