Brandwave

How popular isSallie Mae?

In September 2026, people searched for Sallie Mae by name about 246,000 times in the United States, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 74.5% of all United States student loan lender searches, placing Sallie Mae first out of six lenders. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about student loan lenders, Sallie Mae appeared in two of the five answers and was the fourth most recommended of the six.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Sallie Mae is the most searched of 6 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Sallie MaeShare of searches 74.5%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  2. College AveShare of searches 18.3%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  3. SoFiShare of searches 3%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  4. EarnestShare of searches 2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. AscentShare of searches 1.3%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th

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Top student loan lenders in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Sallie Mae was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Sallie Mae is the fourth most recommended of the six.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Earnest1st
  2. SoFi2nd
  3. College Ave3rd
  4. Sallie Mae4th
  5. Ascent5th
  6. Citizens6th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Earnest4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • SoFi3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Sallie Mae2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • College Ave2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Ascent2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Citizens1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about student loan lenders

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.

Which student loan lenders compete with Sallie Mae?

Sallie Mae against student loan lenders in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Sallie Mae, College Ave, SoFi. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSallie MaeCollege AveSoFiEarnestAscentCitizens
Oct 202575.3%18.5%3%1.3%1.1%0.73%
Nov 202574.4%18.3%3.7%1.3%1.3%0.89%
Dec 202573.5%18.1%4.4%1.6%1.3%1.1%
Jan 202674%18.2%3.6%2%1.1%1.1%
Feb 202674%18.2%3.6%2%1.1%1.1%
Mar 202676.8%15.4%3.8%1.7%1.4%0.92%
Apr 202677%15.5%3.1%2.1%1.4%0.92%
May 202673.7%18.1%4.4%1.6%1.3%0.87%
Jun 202672.7%17.9%4.4%2.4%1.3%1.3%
Jul 202668.4%20.6%3.4%3.4%2.8%1.5%
Aug 202670.3%21%2.3%2.8%2.3%1.3%
Sep 202674.5%18.3%3%2%1.3%0.88%

  1. 1.Sallie Mae

    74.5%

    Held 1st. 246K estimated branded searches, -33.2% vs prior month. Share +4.2 points.

  2. 2.College Ave

    18.3%

    Held 2nd. 60.5K estimated branded searches, -45% vs prior month. Share -2.7 points.

  3. 3.SoFi

    3%

    Moved from 5th to 3rd. 9.9K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  4. 4.Earnest

    2%

    Moved from 3rd to 4th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, -55.4% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.

  5. 5.Ascent

    1.3%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -63.6% vs prior month. Share -1 points.

  6. 6.Citizens

    0.88%

    Held 6th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, -56.1% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

Compare popularity between Sallie Mae and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Sallie Mae

5 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Sallie Mae changed in the United States over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Sallie Mae in the United States held steady at 246K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sallie Mae’s share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States decreased from 75.3% to 74.5%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sallie Mae’s share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States peaked at 77% in April 2026 and was lowest at 68.4% in July 2026.

How did search popularity change for United States student loan lenders in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, SoFi overtook Earnest and Ascent to rank 3rd among student loan lenders in the United States, with 3% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Sallie Mae gained share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States, from 70.3% to 74.5%.

  3. In September 2026, College Ave lost share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States, from 21% to 18.3%.

  4. In September 2026, Ascent lost share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States, from 2.3% to 1.3%.

  5. In September 2026, Earnest lost share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States, from 2.8% to 2%.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Citizens in the United States rose 20.8% over 12 measured months, from 2.4K to 2.9K in September 2026.

How are Sallie Mae’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Sallie Mae’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • sallie mae

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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