Having a child who is on their way to college is stressful enough without having to worry about how that college education is going to be paid; discussing that issue when you’re going through a divorce is important.
If parents don’t agree on how college will be paid, judges in Missouri have a lot of discretion in deciding whether college should be paid by parents, and if so, how much. Some judges will not address the issue of college if children are young, since if a child is going to go to college and where they may attend is too speculative at a young age. Other judges may opine that, because married parents are under no obligation to pay for college, that obligation is not something that should be included for parents who are divorced. In some cases, when judges do address how college will be paid for, they will put a cap on how much a parent has to pay: a percentage of in-state tuition at the University of Missouri- Columbia based on the parties’ relative incomes is common.
If college is ordered to be paid by parents and the cost of the education is more than the court has ordered, there is no obligation for parents to make up for that difference. Making up that gap is either paid by a parent or parents of their own accord, or the child must make up the gap if they want to attend that school.
Discussing payment for college is an important topic to raise with your divorce attorney. For this or other family law matters, please call one of the family law attorneys at Sandberg Phoenix.
