Divorced Parents and College Expenses: Understanding Your Rights and Responsibilities 

 Posted on January 03, 2023 in Child Support

When most people think of child support and the associated responsibilities, they believe parental responsibility ends when their child turns 18 or graduates from high school. However, this is not necessarily true. Many parents continue that support through court-ordered child support payments requiring them to assist their child pay their college tuition. In Illinois, this is very common and is generally referred to as support of non-minor children for educational expenses. In most cases, a judge will issue this order based on the parent's financial situation and whether they can contribute to their child's college fund. 

If you are a parent and are interested in whether you and your ex-spouse could be required to contribute to your child's college expenses, consider contacting an experienced family law attorney who can help guide you through the process of ensuring you can develop a plan to help support your child so they can receive a college education

What to Know About Child Support and College Expenses

It is well documented that college is very expensive. As stated previously, the court will look at each parent's assets and income when determining how much each parent may be required to pay toward college expenses. In addition, the court will also look at the income and assets of the college student when making these determinations. If it is found that the student can contribute to help pay for their college expenses using their own income or inheritance, they may be ordered to do so. Notably, to standardize the process, Illinois courts use the average cost of a student attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as the primary standard for their calculations. Parents will not be ordered to pay a total for a child’s education that exceeds the cost of tuition, room, and board at the UIUC, even if the cost of education at the child’s chosen school far exceeds that of UIUC. 

If the court orders that the college student's parents meet the criteria to help support their child with paying college expenses, they will be responsible for providing support until the child turns 23, gets married, or receives a bachelor's degree. If circumstances call for it, the age can be extended to 25. It must also be noted that while receiving support, the child must maintain at least a "C" grade point average for college financial support to continue. Both parents will have the right to access their child's academic records for as long as they are paying court-ordered support.

Contact a Wheaton Family Law Lawyer

Figuring out how to pay for college can be a very stressful experience, especially for parents who have gone through a divorce. To help simplify the process, contact a DuPage County family law attorney with The Stogsdill Law Firm, P.C.. Call 630-462-9500 today for a consultation.

Source:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=075000050K513