RESTON, Va., March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — SLM Corporation (NYSE: SLM ), commonly known as Sallie Mae and the nation's leading provider of education funding, today announced that it has received a "perfect" score of 10 for corporate governance according to the latest ratings issued by GovernanceMetrics International (GMI), the corporate governance research and ratings agency. SLM Corporation was one of only 34 companies globally — and one of only 27 American companies — to receive a 10, GMI's highest rating. The average rating for reviewed companies in the United States was 7.03. GMI's rating system incorporates hundreds of data points across six broad categories of analysis: board accountability, financial disclosure and internal controls, executive compensation, shareholder rights, ownership base and takeover provisions, and corporate behavior and social responsibility.