Words cannot explain the joy one has for their child after graduation of high school. Watching your child grow up from an infant to a young adult can put chills down your spine after watching them walk down that aisle and receiving their high school diploma. The next big decision for your child after graduating high school is attending college. Making the decision to go to college is going to be one of the biggest decisions in your child's life. Making the decision to go to college is going to influence how marketable your child will be in the workforce and how much money they potentially can make. What are the legal obligations for divorced parents to pay their child's college tuition? How do divorced parents pay for their child's college expenses? How do divorced parents fill out their child's FASFA? These are all frequently asked questions divorced parents have when assisting their children with their college planning after a divorce has taken place.

In Ohio, the court does not have the direct authority to order one or both parties to pay for their children's college expenses unless there is an agreement made by the parties and specified in the divorce decree. The court can approve the parties' agreement and make the agreement an order of the court. College expenses may include tuition, room and board, books and fees, and other expenses. The custodial parent for federal student aid purposes is the parent with whom the child lived with the most during the past 12 months. This is not necessarily the same as the parent who has legal custody. If the child did not live with one parent more than the other, the parent who provided the child with the most financial support during the past twelve months should fill out the FAFSA. This is probably the parent who claimed the child as a dependent on their tax return. Biological parents who were never married are treated the same as parents who are divorced. Any child support and/or alimony received from the non-custodial parent must be included on the FAFSA.

Several states have statutes or case law that allows courts to order the non-custodial parent to help pay for college. An experienced divorce attorney in your state will be able to give you legal advice as to how the court will address paying for your child's college expenses. An experienced Columbus Ohio Divorce Attorney will be to answer your questions, give you legal advice, and take the appropriate legal action to reach the optimum results possible. The friendly law office of Ralph A. Kerns & Associates is committed to providing excellent representation, which includes carefully explaining to our clients every legal option available to them under the applicable law. We are here to help you through this difficult time and we are always available to answer your questions. We have helped people through a wide range of family law and domestic matters for over 30 years. We are qualified to practice in any county in Ohio and familiar with each county's local rules. Through friendly service and aggressive representation, we ensure our client's rights are protected. We never hesitate to act quickly and efficiently when time is of the essence. Call today for a free consultation. Help is one phone call away!