Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning and paying for college company, today announced the launch of a new mobile app designed to guide high school students and families through the planning for college process. Available for download at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the “College Ahead” mobile app provides students and families with an interactive roadmap to planning for college, including tips and resources on everything from saving for college to picking a school and applying for financial aid.

According to the 2014 report by Sallie Mae and Ipsos, “How America Pays for College”, just 38 percent of families have a plan to pay for college. In addition, for some families, paying for college comes with a few surprises like the cost of textbooks or expenses related to travel and transportation.

“Parents and students have told us they want step-by-step instructions when it comes to preparing for college, and it’s critical for families to develop a game plan as they begin this process,” said Martha Holler, senior vice president, Sallie Mae. “We created the mobile app to provide an interactive environment that makes the college preparation process fun and helps students make informed decisions about college. All kinds of important information students need to get ready for college is now in one place and right at their fingertips.”

As part of an online college planning toolbox, the College Ahead mobile app has interactive tools, exercises, and tips specifically for high school juniors and seniors preparing for “all things” college. Within the app, the user can navigate through six key steps in getting to college - Save, Ask, Prep, Select, Apply, and Go – and can utilize free resources including Sallie Mae’s Scholarship Search and the College Planning Calculator.

Other key features of the app include:

  • College Cost Estimator: Estimates cost of a college degree based on school choice, type of degree and other expenses.
  • Trophy Case: Allows students to track all of their achievements to include on college applications.
  • College Scorecard: Lets students compare colleges to decide which school is the best choice for them.
  • College Planning Calendar: Keeps track of important college milestones, such as application due dates and financial aid deadlines.
  • FAFSA Roadmap: Provides tips to help simplify the FAFSA process.
  • Exam Prep Checklist: Ensures students have everything they need for the SAT/ACT exams.

The College Ahead mobile app is the latest in a series of planning for college tools from Sallie Mae. The complete suite of planning tools, calculators, and interactive exercises are available online at salliemae.com/planforcollege.

Join the conversation on how to save, plan, and pay for college at Facebook.com/SallieMae and Twitter.com/SallieMae.

Sallie Mae (NASDAQ:SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance including private education loans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search, college financial planning tools, insurance, and online retail banking. 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.