May 13, 2006

$500,000 fund established to help students

TG Textbook Awards available for students affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita

Round Rock, Texas — TG's Public Benefit Grant Program, a philanthropic initiative of TG, has set aside $500,000 to help students whose education was interrupted by Hurricanes Katrina and/or Rita. The TG Textbook Awards program will provide 1,000 students with $500 grants to purchase textbooks and education-related supplies for the 2006 summer session or the fall 2006 semester.

"Our school partners who were most affected by last fall's hurricanes have conveyed how significant the interruptions have been for students — and that a large number of students have not re-enrolled or have withdrawn over the course of the past year," said Sue McMillin, TG's president and CEO. "TG is offering these funds to help ease the financial burden for students directly — so that they won't have to worry about finding extra resources for books and supplies on top of all the other demands they may be facing."

To be eligible for a TG Textbook Award:

• A student must be enrolled at a "designated affected postsecondary institution," as determined by the U.S. Department of Education.
• A student must have realized an interruption to his/her higher education experience. Priority will be given to students who are re-entering postsecondary education after an absence resulting from the hurricanes (i.e., students who were enrolled during 2005-2006 but later withdrew). Students who have recently re-enrolled may also be eligible.
• Additional consideration will also be given to students who are Pell-eligible for the period of enrollment during which the textbook stipend will be applied.

The amount of funds available to institutions in each of the affected states will be proportional to the number of institutions in the state which are deemed eligible. TG is in the process of contacting eligible schools to invite them to apply for funds.

These TG Textbook Awards are offered as a part of the TG Public Benefit Grant Program and in addition to ongoing support for the Charley Wootan Grant Program, a need-based grant program established by TG in 2000. Through these programs TG has provided $3.5 million to help students enrolled in postsecondary education during the 2005-2006 academic year alone.

For more information about the TG Textbook Awards or TG's Public Benefit Grant Program, visit www.tgslc.org/public_benefit/, or contact Jacob Fraire, assistant vice president for educational alliances and partnerships, at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4964.

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About TG: TG is a public, nonprofit corporation that helps create access to higher education for millions of families and students through its role as an administrator of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). Its vision is to be the premier source of information, financing, and assistance to help all families and students realize their educational and career dreams. Additional information about TG can be found online at www.tgslc.org. This press release can be downloaded from www.tgslc.org/newsroom/.

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Contact:
Kristin Boyer
TG
(512) 219-4990
(800) 252-9743, ext. 4990
kristin.boyer@tgslc.org