Sallie Mae Commemorates Graduations of Children of All Ages With New Mobile Apps to Encourage Families to Plan for Higher Education

Graduation season marks a new chapter for millions of kindergarteners, eighth graders and high school seniors, now one step closer to college. With the launch of award-winning mobile apps, Sallie Mae aims to make it easier than ever for families with children of any age to prepare for their higher education and future careers.

Sallie Mae's free mobile apps teach preschoolers to save, teens about career options and high school students about selecting, applying and paying for college. (Photo: Business Wire)

“It’s never too early for families to start planning for college, yet it can be hard to know when and how to start,” said Martha Holler, senior vice president, Sallie Mae. “To help, we collaborated with 529 plans across the country and created engaging tools that teach young children about saving money, help teens through college prep and inspire families to have important conversations about college and money.”

Sallie Mae’s free mobile apps make it fun for kids of any age and their parents to plan for higher education. Teaching preschoolers to save, teens about career options and high school students about selecting, applying and paying for college, the apps include:

• Big Start teaches preschoolers and elementary schoolers the importance of saving money and encourages college planning conversations with parents. The app features four interactive sections such as “Little By Little,” which illustrates how taking small steps can help accomplish big goals including saving for college.
• Big Dreamers is designed to help tweens and teens plan their dream career. The app features a “Career Chaser” that asks questions about kids’ interests, highlights career options suited for them and explains the education required and potential salaries.
• Max U assists high school students with college prep though its College Compare-izer, FAFSA Checklist and College Cost Cruncher. Max U is the first mobile app designed to help guide high school students with college prep, learn about and apply for financial aid, find the right college, and save for college all in one place.

Big Start, Big Dreamers, and Max U are provided free by Sallie Mae for use on iPhone and Android phones at Sallie Mae’s college planning website, CollegeAnswer.com.

Sallie Mae helps families financially prepare for higher education with 529 college savings plans administered through its subsidiaries and with the Upromise rewards program that can supplement savings by earning cash back for college from everyday purchases.

Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM) is the nation’s No. 1 financial services company specializing in education. Celebrating 40 years of making a difference, Sallie Mae continues to turn education dreams into reality for American families, today serving 25 million customers. With products and services that include 529 college savings plans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search and planning tools, education loans, 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.

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