How America Pays for College 2021 - Overview - College financing resources and research findings

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Angel

Sallie Mae and Ipsos present the 2021 national study surveying college students and parents of undergraduate students about attitudes toward higher education and how families pay for college. The report outlines Sallie Mae’s mission and emphasizes affordable, equitable, and accessible college through clear, transparent planning support. It highlights free college-planning resources and tools such as Scholarship Search and the FAFSA application tool, along with responsible private student loans, savings accounts, and credit cards designed to build financial capability.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages86

Reading Time3 h 37 min

AccessFree to download

How America Pays for College 2021

Study purpose and audience

Sallie Mae mission and transparency

College planning resources

Scholarship Search and FAFSA tool

Private student loans

Savings accounts

Credit cards

Ipsos company background

Sallie Mae | Ipsos i 2021 How America Pays for College Sallie Mae’s national study of college students and parents Conducted by Ipsos How America Pays for College 2021 Sallie Mae | Ipsos ii Sallie Mae’s mission is to power confidence as students begin their unique journey. Sallie Mae’s mission is to power confidence as students begin their unique journey. We are the leader in private student lending, providing financing and expertise to support college access and completion. We offer products and resources to help students and families start smart in planning for higher education, ensuring opportunities to learn and dream big. We believe college should be affordable, equitable, and accessible for all students, and we’re committed to making that a reality. Our focus is on being clear and transparent with students. We help simplify the planning-for-college process and make sure students and families feel confident and assured that their decisions about higher education today put them on solid footing for tomorrow. Specifically, we offer tools to support college access and completion, including financing and expertise. We power confidence through: Free planning and paying for college resources Confidence-building tools help students sharpen their financial know-how and college planning process by making it easier for them to secure scholarships, grants, work study, and other types of federal aid—all of which we recommend they explore before turning to private student loans. Our tools include Scholarship Search, which connected 24,000 students with scholarships in 2020, covering more than $67 million in college costs; and our Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) application tool, which simplifies the process for students seeking financial aid. Private student loans Responsible private student loans with competitive rates help undergraduate and graduate students bridge the gap between the cost of higher education and the amount funded through financial aid, federal loans, and students’and families’ resources. Savings accounts Competitive savings products help our customers grow their money and achieve their financial goals. Credit cards Designed to help students and young adults build good credit, these cards reward financial responsibility, and encourage habits that lead to financial independence. We believe college should be affordable, equitable, and accessible for all students—and we’re committed to making that a reality. Our focus is on being clear and transparent with students. We help simplify the planning-for-college process and make sure students and families feel confident and assured that their decisions about higher education today put them on solid footing for tomorrow. For more information on how Sallie Mae empowers students throughout their higher education journey, visit[salliemae.com](salliemae.com. Join)[. Join](salliemae.com. Join) the conversation about this study on social media with \#HowAmericaPays. Sallie Mae 300 Continental Drive Newark, DE 19713 Access a related infographic and other information about this [study at](study at salliemae.com/howamericapays)[ salliemae.com/howamericapays](study at salliemae.com/howamericapays). FAFSA® is a registered service mark of U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid. © 2021 Sallie Mae Bank. All rights reserved. Sallie Mae, the Sallie Mae logo, and other Sallie Mae names are service marks or registered service marks of Sallie Mae Bank. All other names and logos used are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Sallie Mae Bank, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. SMSM MKT15974 0721 How America Pays for College 2021 Sallie Mae | Ipsos iii Ipsos is the world’s third-largest insights and analytics company. Our team of 18,000 across 90 countries serves 5,000 clients and undertakes 70,000 different project

FAQs

Who was surveyed in the How America Pays for College 2021 study?

The study surveyed college students and parents of undergraduate students about their attitudes toward higher education and how they are paying for college.

What planning and application tools does the report emphasize?

It highlights Free planning and paying resources, including Scholarship Search and a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) application tool to simplify accessing financial aid.

Which financial products are described as helping students and families?

The document describes responsible private student loans, competitive savings products, and credit cards designed to help students and young adults build good credit.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Angel