College Expenses

When a court is determining whether to order parents to contribute to a child’s college expenses, considerations include:

• The child’s aptitude and ability
• The child’s reasonable ability to contribute to educational expenses through work and loans
• The availability of financial aid to the child and parents
• The ability of each parent to meet these expenses

Once a court has established a legal duty to support a child through a court order, either parent may request a contribution to their child’s college expenses. Generally speaking, a petition for contribution to educational expenses must be on file prior to the child’s 19^th birthday. However, if the duty to support a child was established through a court order prior to June 30, 2012, a petition for educational needs must be filed prior to the child’s 21^st birthday.