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                                                                     Exhibit 4.1

                                TRUST AGREEMENT


          TRUST AGREEMENT, dated as of May 18, 2001, between SLM Funding
Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Depositor"), and Chase Manhattan Bank
USA, National Association ("Chase"), a national banking corporation, not in its
individual capacity but solely as Interim Eligible Lender Trustee (the
"Trustee"). The Depositor and the Trustee hereby agree as follows:

          1.   The trust created hereby shall be known as SLM Student Loan Trust
2001-2 (the "Trust") in which name the Trustee may conduct the business of the
Trust, make and execute contracts, and sue and be sued.

          2.   The Depositor hereby assigns, transfers, conveys and sets over to
the Trustee the sum of $100. The Trustee hereby acknowledges receipt of such
amount in trust from the Depositor, which amount shall constitute the initial
trust estate. The Trustee hereby declares that it will hold the trust estate in
trust for the Depositor. It is the intention of the parties hereto that the
Trust created hereby constitute a business trust under Chapter 38 of Title 12 of
the Delaware Code, 12 Del. C. (S) 3801 et seq. and that this document constitute
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the governing instrument of the Trust. The Trustee is hereby authorized and
directed to execute and file a certificate of trust with the Delaware Secretary
of State in the form attached hereto.

          3.   The Depositor and the Trustee will enter into an amended restated
Interim Trust Agreement, satisfactory to each such party, to provide for the
contemplated operation of the Trust created hereby. Prior to the execution and
delivery of such amended and restated Interim Trust Agreement, the Trustee shall
not have any duty or obligation hereunder or with respect to the trust estate,
except (i) the Trustee is hereby authorized and directed to execute and deliver,
on behalf of the Trust, five (5) separate Reports (the "Reports"), each dated
May __, 2001, to the Registrar of Companies in Singapore, relating to the sale
of the Trust's (a) Floating Rate Class A-1T Student Loan-Backed Notes, (b)
Floating Rate Class A-1L Student Loan-Backed Notes, (c) Floating Rate Class A-2T
Student Loan-Backed Notes, (d) Floating Rate Class A-2L Student Loan-Backed
Notes, and (e) Float Rate Class B Student Loan-Backed Notes, all under Section
1061(1) pursuant to an exemption under Division 5A (Form 30B), and (ii) as
otherwise required by applicable law or as may be necessary to obtain prior to
such execution and delivery any licenses, consents or approvals required by
applicable law or otherwise.

          4.   (a)  Except as otherwise expressly required in Sections 2 and 3
of this Trust Agreement, the Trustee shall not have any duty or liability with
respect to the administration of the Trust or the filing of the Reports, the
investment of the Trust's property or the payment of dividends or other
distributions of income or principal to the Trust's beneficiaries, and no
implied obligations shall be inferred from this Trust Agreement on the part of
the Trustee. The Trustee shall not be liable for the acts or omissions of the
Depositor or any other person who acts on behalf of the Trust nor shall the
Trustee be liable for any act or omission by it in good faith in accordance with
the directions of the Depositor.
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               (b)    The Trustee accepts the trusts hereby created and agrees
to perform its duties hereunder with respect to the same but only upon the terms
of this Trust Agreement. The Trustee shall not be personally liable under any
circumstances, except for its own willful misconduct or gross negligence. In
particular, but not by way of limitation:

               (i)    The Trustee shall not be personally liable for any error
of judgment made in good faith by an officer or employee of the Trustee;

               (ii)   No provision of this Trust Agreement shall require the
Trustee to expend or risk its personal funds or otherwise incur any financial
liability in the performance of its rights or duties hereunder, if the Trustee
shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or
adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured or
provided to it;

               (iii)  Under no circumstance shall the Trustee be personally
liable for any representation, warranty, covenant or indebtedness of the Trust
or the filing of the Reports;

               (iv)   The Trustee shall not be personally responsible for or in
respect of the genuineness, form or value of the Trust property, the validity or
sufficiency of this Trust Agreement or for the due execution hereof by the
Depositor;

               (v)    In the event that the Trustee is unsure as to the course
of action to be taken by it hereunder, the Trustee may request instructions from
the Depositor and to the extent the Trustee follows such instructions in good
faith it shall not be liable to any person. In the event that no instructions
are provided within the time requested by the Trustee, it shall have no duty or
liability for its failure to take any action or for any action it takes in good
faith;

               (vi)   All funds deposited with the Trustee hereunder may be held
in a non-interest bearing trust account and the Trustee shall not be liable for
any interest thereon or for any loss as a result of the investment thereof at
the direction of the Depositor;

               (vii)  To the extent that, at law or in equity, the Trustee has
duties and liabilities relating thereto to the Depositor or the Trust, the
Depositor agrees that such duties and liabilities are replaced by the terms of
this Trust Agreement.

          (c)  The Trustee shall incur no liability to anyone in acting upon any
document believed by it to be genuine and believed by it to be signed by the
proper party or parties. The Trustee may accept a certified copy of a resolution
of the board of directors or other governing body of any corporate party as
conclusive evidence that such resolution has been duly adopted by such body and
that the same is in full force and effect. As to any fact or matter the manner
of ascertainment is not specifically prescribed herein, the Trustee may for all
purposes hereof rely on a certificate, signed by the Depositor, as to such fact
or matter, and such certificate shall constitute full protection to the Trustee
for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in reliance
thereon.

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          (d)  In the exercise or administration of the trusts hereunder, the
Trustee (i) may act directly or, at the expense of the Depositor, through agents
or attorneys, and the Trustee shall not be liable for the default or misconduct
of such attorneys or agents if such agents and attorneys shall have been
selected by the Trustee in good faith, and (ii) may, at the expense of the
Depositor, consult with counsel, accountants and other experts, and it shall not
be liable for anything done, suffered or omitted in good faith by it in
accordance with the advice or opinion of any such counsel, accountants or other
experts.

          (e)  Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary,
neither Chase nor the Trustee shall be required to take any action in any
jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware if the taking of such action will
(i) require the consent or approval or authorization or order of or the giving
of notice to, or the registration with or the taking of any other action in
respect of, any state or other governmental authority or agency of any
jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware, (ii) result in any fee, tax or
other governmental charge under the laws of any jurisdiction or any political
subdivision thereof in existence becoming payable by Chase, or (iii) subject
Chase to personal jurisdiction in any jurisdiction other than the State of
Delaware for causes of action arising from acts unrelated to the consummation of
the transactions by Chase or the Trustee, as the case may be, contemplated
hereby.

          (f)  Except as expressly provided in this Section 4, in accepting and
performing the trusts hereby created, the Trustee acts solely as trustee
hereunder and not in its individual capacity, and all persons having any claim
against the Trustee by reason of the transactions contemplated by this Trust
Agreement shall look only to the Trust's property for payment or satisfaction
thereof.

          5.   The Depositor hereby agrees to (i) compensate the Trustee for its
services hereunder in an amount separately agreed to by the Depositor and the
Trustee, (ii) reimburse the Trustee for all reasonable expenses (including
reasonable fees and expenses of counsel and other experts) and (iii) indemnify,
defend and hold harmless the Trustee and any of the officers, directors,
employees and agents of the Trustee (the "Indemnified Persons") from and against
any and all losses, damages, liabilities, claims, actions, suits, costs,
expenses, disbursements (including reasonable fees and expenses of its counsel),
taxes and penalties of any kind and nature whatsoever (collectively,
"Expenses"), to the extent that such Expenses arise out of or are imposed upon
or asserted at any time against such Indemnified Person with respect to the
performance of this Trust Agreement, the creation, operation or termination of
the Trust or the transactions contemplated hereby; provided, however, that the
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Depositor shall not be required to indemnify any Indemnified Person for any
Expenses which are a result of the willful misconduct, bad faith or gross
negligence of such Indemnified Person. The obligations of the Depositor under
this Section 5 shall survive the termination of this Trust Agreement.

          6.   The Trustee may resign upon thirty days prior notice to the
Depositor. If no successor has been appointed within such thirty day period, the
Trustee may, at the expense of the Trust, petition a court of competent
jurisdiction to appoint a successor trustee.

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          7.   This Trust Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the
parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all
prior agreement and understandings between the parties.

          8.   This Trust Agreement shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without reference to is
conflict of law provisions, and the obligations, rights and remedies of the
parties hereunder shall be determined in accordance with such laws.

          9.   This Trust Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts,
each of which when so executed shall be an original and all of which when taken
together shall constitute but one and the same instrument.





                           [SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

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          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Trust
Agreement to be duly executed by their respective officers hereunto duly
authorized, as of the day and year first above written.



                                          SLM FUNDING CORPORATION, as Depositor


                                          By: /s/ Mark L. Heleen
                                              -------------------------------
                                          Name:  Mark L. Heleen
                                          Title: Vice President



                                          CHASE MANHATTAN BANK USA, NATIONAL
                                          ASSOCIATION, not in its individual
                                          capacity but solely as Interim
                                          Eligible Lender Trustee


                                          By:  /s/ John J. Cashin
                                               ------------------------------
                                          Name:  John J. Cashin
                                          Title: Vice President


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