These awards are part of The Sallie Mae Fund’s efforts to increase access to higher education for lower-income and minority students by addressing a common barrier: financial need.

RESTON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In recognition of National Scholarship Month, The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, today awarded $2 million in scholarships to help approximately 800 students pursue a college education this school year. These awards are part of The Sallie Mae Fund’s efforts to increase access to higher education for lower-income and minority students by addressing a common barrier: financial need. Since 2001, The Sallie Mae Fund has awarded more than $14 million in scholarships to 5,700 students enrolled at 1,000 colleges in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

“In uncertain economic times such as these, it is more important than ever for deserving students to have access to resources that can fund their higher education dreams,” said Erin Korsvall, vice president, The Sallie Mae Fund. “The Sallie Mae Fund commends these students for what they have accomplished, and is pleased to provide a stepping stone for them to further shine in college.”

In 2008, more than 24,000 completed applications, a record number, were submitted to The Fund by college-bound students across the country. By 2015, there will be an additional 5 million college-age individuals in the United States. Approximately 80 percent of this growth is projected to come from minority populations with greater financial need.

“Coming from a low-income family, I never thought it would be possible for me to go to college,” said Brianda Perez of San Juan, Texas, now a sophomore at University of Texas – Austin. “From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for helping me come one step closer to achieving my goals and aspirations.” Perez is a recipient of The Fund’s First in My Family scholarship, working toward a degree in mechanical engineering.

Some recipients aim to set an example for their siblings, such as Jonathan Tyes, who is using his American Dream scholarship to help fund his education at Morehouse College in Georgia. “It is very important to me that I become a physician, not only for myself, but also for my eight younger siblings,” he said. “It is imperative that I show them that it is possible to escape drugs, poverty and ignorance through education.”

Unmet Need scholarship winner Ryan Fuller, a student at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, hopes to pursue a career in the research of alternative means of energy after graduation. “Receiving The Sallie Mae Fund Unmet Need scholarship can help relieve the financial stress on my family and me so I can focus instead on reaching my goals,” he said.

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