Child Support for College Tuition

 Posted on July 24, 2019 in Family Law

Child support does not necessarily stop when your child turns 18, the “age of majority.” In fact, some of the largest expenses, in terms of dollars per year, may lay ahead of that age. The average cost of tuition and fees for attending just one year at a public college is close to $10,000. For private school, the national average is over $35,000 per year. At four years, these expenditures would amount to $40,000 and $140,000, respectively, and that is only the cost of tuition and school fees. The average college graduate walks away from college with $30,000 of student loans looming over their heads.

However, when taking into account all of the graduates who did not take out loans in the first place, the average student loan debt is actually much higher. $100,000 of student loans is not uncommon, and that number can easily double or triple for advanced degrees. The last thing you want for your child is to avoid going to college because of the expense or to start out on the job market with that type of financial stress making decisions for them. An experienced child support attorney can help you negotiate a new child support agreement with the child’s other parent, or petition the court to create a child support order that will help cover the costs of higher education.

Additional College Expenses

College tuition is expensive, but the cost of classes is just the beginning; college students have much more to pay for than just tuition fees. An Illinois family court has the ability to include additional college expenses in the child support order. These may include the following:

• Textbooks—The average college student spends over $1,200 per year on textbooks and materials
• Room and board in a dormitory
• Rent and living expenses
• Transportation costs
• Health insurance
• Educational materials and electronics, such as laptops, software, and other supplies;
• Tutoring
• More

How an Attorney Can Help

In Illinois, noncustodial parents can be held accountable when it comes to paying for their child’s college expenses, and this is a good thing. If it were left up to the child themselves and their custodial parent, chances are that children of divorce, in general, would end up with worse educations and jobs than children with two cohabiting parents. An experienced child support attorney can help you achieve your child support goals to cover the costs of college.

Reach Out to a DuPage County Child Support Lawyer

College is expensive, and only becoming more so. Yet, people who do not attend college are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to getting a good, high paying, enjoyable job. To ensure your son or daughter starts out their adult life on the right foot, contact the skilled DuPage County child support attorneys at the Law Office of Martoccio & Martoccio today. Call 630-920-8855 to schedule a free consultation today.

Sources:

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/paying-for-college-infographic

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-behind-the-soaring-cost-of-college-textbooks/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/12/she-owes-500000-in-student-loans-giant-balances-are-on-the-rise.html