Fathers obligation to pay for college

[Ms. V.]

What is the name of your state? I live in Illinois.

My daughter is 18 years old with a child of her own. Because she has a child, her Father says he has no obligation to pay for college. Is there a law that states the Father of an eighteen year old is not obligated to pay college tuition for his child if his child is a mother? Please advise.

[stealth2]

What's your order say about college?

[Ms. V.]

My order is asking for support for college tuition and expenses, and medical and dental coverage

[stealth2]

To clarify.... Your current order SAYS that Dad is obligated to pay for some portion of college tuition? Or you are filing to ASK that he be obligated to do so?

[rmet4nzkx]

Illinois is a state where post secondary child support may be a part of your child support orders and is not necessiarly an obligation unless it is ordered. Usually it is included at the time of your divorce or sometime prior to 18 or graduation from high school, so it seems to be streaching things a bit to be asking for it now unless there is some extraordinary reason for it. Illinois also has educational savings plans that could have been initiated when the child was younger to cover this possibility. Is your daughter receiving welfare and or child support? Her father's obligation for child support to his daughter does not extend to her child.

[Ms. V.]

I know that it does not extend to her child. My concern is that he help pay for her continued education. When the child support order ended at her eighteenth birthday, the hearing officer told me that I could file a motion for him to contribute to her college education. I asked the hearing officer whether or not it mattered that she had a child, and he said no it didn't matter. We are not receiving public assistance but I do need assistance from him to pay for college

[stealth2]

Okay - so you've ASKED that he help pay for college, but he is not CURRENTLY obligated. You can tell him that the judge will decide whether he has to or not.

[nextwife]

Many 18 year olds work to cover a good portion of their college expenses themselves. I did, my siblings did, and so have most of our friend's kids. How much is she planning to cointribute toward HER college education? 1/3rd each AFTER all grants. scholarship and financial aid sources have been exhausted is not a totally unreasonable approach for her to try to negotiate with dad.

[djohnson]

I had to take out student loans and pay them all back myself because my parent (mother) wasn't able to help at all and I understood that. I think the fact that she has a child should show you that giving everything to her the easy way hasn't made her the most responsible child. Maybe making her earn something herself would make her grow up. Of course it is up to the court and could go either way, but I think dad has a very strong argument. Married parents aren't made to pay for college for their children so why should he have to. Are you putting cash up to help her go also?

[VeronicaGia]

Also, does this adult live on her own with the child? Does she live with the father of the child?