1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Diefenderfer III, William M.
   11600 Sallie Mae Drive
   Reston, VA 20193
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   SLM Corporation (SLM)
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
4. Statement for Month/Year
   12/2002
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   (X) Director                   ( ) 10% Owner
   ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below)
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

TABLE I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+------------------------------+----------+----------+---------+--------------------------+--------------+-----------+------------+
|1. Title of Security          |2. Trans- |2A.Execu- |3. Trans-|4. Securities Acquired (A)|5. Amount of  |6. Owner-  |7. Nature   |
|                              |   action |   action |   action|   or Disposed of (D)     |Securities    |   ship    |   of In-   |
|                              |   Date   |   Date   |   Code  |                          |Beneficially  |   Form:   |   direct   |
|                              |          |          |         |                          |Owned         |   Direct  |   Bene-    |
|                              |  (Month/ |  (Month/ |         |                          |Following     |   (D) or  |   ficial   |
|                              |   Day/   |   Day/   |         +-----------+---+----------+   Year       |   Indirect|   Owner-   |
|                              |   Year)  |   Year)  |         |Amount     |A/D|Price     |              |   (I)     |   ship     |
+------------------------------+----------+----------+---------+-----------+---+----------+--------------+-----------+------------+
                                                                                           
Common Stock                                                                               9790           D





TABLE II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+----------+--------+-------+-------+---------+-----------+---------------------+----------------+----------+-------+-------+------+
|1.        |2.      |3.     |3A.    |4.       |5.         |6.                   |7.              |8.        |9.     |10.    |11.   |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |Number |Owner- |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |of     |ship   |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |Deriv- |Form of|      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |Title and Amount|          |ative  |Deriv- |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |of Underlying   |          |Secur- |ative  |Nature|
|          |Conver- |Trans- |Execu- |         |Number of  |                     |Securities      |          |ities  |Secur- |of    |
|          |sion or |action |tion   |         |Derivative |Date Exercisable     +-------+--------+          |Benefi-|ity:   |In-   |
|          |Exercise|Date   |Date   |         |Securities |and Expiration Date  |       |Amount  |          |cially |Direct |direct|
|          |Price of|       |       |Transac- |Acquired(A)|(Month/Day/Year)     |       |or      |          |Owned  |(D) or |Bene- |
|Title of  |Deriv-  |(Month/|(Month/|tion Code|Disposed(D)+----------+----------+       |Number  |Price of  |       |In-    |ficial|
|Derivative|ative   |Day/   |Day/   |         +-----+-----+Date Exer-|Expira-   |       |of      |Derivative|at End |direct |Owner-|
|Security  |Security|Year)  |Year)  |         |(A)  |(D)  |cisable   |tion Date |Title  |Shares  |Security  |of Year|(I)    |ship  |
+----------+--------+-------+-------+---------+-----+-----+----------+----------+-------+--------+----------+-------+-------+------+
                                                                                   
Stock       $86      01/24/2 01/24/2 A         20000              01/24/2012 Common  20000    $86.0000   20000   D
Option               002     002                                                 Stock
(Right to
buy)
Stock       $91      07/31/2 07/31/2 A         3317        07/31/2003 11/21/2007 Common  3317     $91.0000   3317    D
Option               002     002                                                 Stock
(Right to
buy)
Stock       $91      07/31/2 07/31/2 A         1356        07/31/2003 05/20/2009 Common  1356     $91.0000   1356    D
Option               002     002                                                 Stock
(Right to
buy)
Stock       $91.05   01/30/2 01/30/2 A         2953        01/30/2003 05/20/2009 Common  2953     $91.0500   2953    D
Option               002     002                                                 Stock
(Right to
buy)
Phantom     $0   11/15/2 11/15/2 A         19.39                     Common  19.39    $0.0000    997.8   D
Stock                002     002                                                 Stock            
Units

Explanation of Responses:


These options become exercisable upon the Company's common stock having a
closing price on the New York Stock Exchange of $103.20, for five trading days,
they also become exercisable on the fifth anniversary of the grant (January 24,
2007).

Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security is 1 to 1.

Phantom Stock Units accrued under the Director Deferred Compensation Plan are to
be settled in the Company's common stock upon the reporting person's separation
from service.



SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ Mary F. Eure (POA)

DATE
02/10/2003