We put the success of our customers first.
Serving Students and Families
Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives build strong foundations of leadership, accountability, and sustainability in communities where we live, work, and serve.
Our commitment is built on five key pillars: customers, employees, communities, environment, and governance and ethics.
Customers
More than ever, we’re working hard to understand the financial needs of students and their families and provide the best individual experience for each customer. At the same time, we protect our customers’ interests by following fair and responsible lending practices and actively safeguarding their personal data.
Recognized by J.D. Power
by providing “An Outstanding Customer Service Experience” for phone support
Updated brand, purpose, and values
with a renewed focus on our customers’ unique journeys
Invested in our people, processes, and technology
to build stronger customer relationships
Sallie Mae helped me to be the first college graduate in my family and the first to pursue a Master’s. I am proud of my personal and professional successes, all of which I owe to Sallie Mae.
Cynthia
Completed her MBA at Cambridge College
Employees
We’re committed to creating an inclusive, diverse culture where everyone feels appreciated, engaged, and inspired to make a difference.
Just as we help customers achieve their goals through higher education, we help our employees on their own professional journeys by providing opportunities to develop, grow, and lead. With a progressive benefits program, we’re also able to support the physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing of employees and their families.
Recognized by Forbes
as one of America’s Best Mid-Size Employers
Support active military duty transitions
by continuing salary and benefits for servicemember employees beyond what’s required by law
Parental leave increased
to 12 weeks of 100% paid family leave for primary caregivers
I was deployed in the Reserves for a year and still had the same position when I came back. Three weeks later I was promoted. That’s amazing!
Roberto Parra
Collections Specialist
Community
Through The Sallie Mae Fund and various scholarship programs, we support initiatives that open doors to education, strengthen communities, encourage financial literacy skills, and more.
A culture of giving is core to who we are at Sallie Mae, where employees receive paid time off to volunteer in their communities.
We align our community work with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, specifically the goal of quality education, which provides a framework for governments, corporations, non-governmental organizations, and educational institutions to work together toward achieving inclusive and quality education for all.
$1,035,513 total charitable contributions in 2019
Includes The Sallie Mae Fund, Community Reinvestment Act, all scholarships, and employee giving
2,746 hours volunteered
by Sallie Mae employees in their communities in 2019
$785,000 in scholarships given to 33 students
through our Bridging the Dream Scholarship program






Our employees value making a difference with customers, with colleagues, and with our hometown communities. As a bank with a purpose, it is inherent upon us to be an engaged community partner.
Martha Holler
Senior Vice President, Communications and Community
Environment
With our natural environment under increasing strain, we have a responsibility to our employees, customers, and communities to minimize our environmental impact.
Our team looks for ways to reduce our energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions, procure more sustainable materials, and minimize the amount of waste generated in our offices.
Installed LED lights
in parking lot, saving 90.8 MWh, close to 2% of total annual electrical use
We use Greenguard Certified® products
which meet strict guidelines and cut down exposure to indoor air pollutants
Energy gains of 50%
Installed room sensors to automatically turn lights on or off in intermittently used rooms
Governance & Ethics
We set high standards and expectations for the ethical conduct of our leadership, employees, and business partners.
The members of our Board of Directors have expertise relevant to our business, are diverse in background, and have strong ethics and integrity. All Sallie Mae employees, officers and directors, and consultants must abide by our Code of Business Conduct which outlines expectations and policies for ethical behavior. We take a proactive approach to managing risks and engage in various risk assessments every year.
Recognized for the past five years
as a 2020 Women on Boards Winning “W” company
Torch Awards for Ethics winner
Our Office of the Customer Advocate was recognized by the Better Business Bureau
When an inquiry comes into the Office of the Customer Advocate, we try to take a step back and think, ‘how would we feel if we were in this customer’s position?’
We show Sallie Mae cares by listening to, acting on, and learning from customer experiences, to improve and enhance our business.
Sheri Jenkins
Director, Office of the Customer Advocate