Children of married parents have no right pursue contribution from their parents for their college expenses. Divorced or unmarried parents, under the Illinois statute, 750 ILCS 5/513, may be ordered to contribute to the college or professional school training expenses of their children. The expenses can include, tuition, room, board, transportation, books and other fees. College expenses, already astronomical by most standards, only seems to increase every year.

How does the court allocate what amount to be paid for college expenses?

The court will consider the following:

(1) Both parents’ financial resources;

(2) The standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the marriage not been dissolved;

(3) The child’s financial resources;

(4) The child’s academic performance; and

(5) any other relevant factors that appear reasonable and necessary.

In some circumstances, if you are paying the expenses for your child before petitioning the court, you may not be able to be reimbursed by the other parent for their share of the expenses. You can file a petition for contribution to college expenses before your child reaches the age of majority, so there is no need to wait until the last minute.  If you have been bearing the burden of payment to date, but your child has not yet obtained a baccalaureate degree, there may still be time to get help. Talk to the family law attorneys of the Integrity Law Group, LLC before the college expenses start rolling in and your stuck footing the bill by calling 773-278-9200!