Agreement regarding college expenses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College is between the child and the parent. A parent is not obligated to pay for college.

Except that they are. Do you know nothing of FAFSA?

I do. And there is a box to check if you are independent. 18 is an adult and legally a parent is no longer any financial obligation to a child. If the parent and child have a relationship, it is not uncommon for a parent to contribute to college, but they are not legally obligated to. Unlike child support, there will be no wage garnishment for failure to pay.

Absolutely untrue. If you were allowed to do this, every college sophomore would click that box and report their summer income of $3000 as a declaration of all available assets.

The school is going to require information from both parents, unless your teenager gets married.

[Anonymous]

More accurately: No, they won't garnish your pay or legally obligate you to pay.

But they will refuse your child financial aid and they will have to find money themselves outside the FA system. Is that really what you want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More accurately: No, they won't garnish your pay or legally obligate you to pay.

But they will refuse your child financial aid and they will have to find money themselves outside the FA system. Is that really what you want?

NP here, but I don't think it's unfair to attach conditions to paying for college (as compared to say feeding/clothing/sheltering a child until they're 18 / graduated from HS, which of course is required). There's a lot of different situations out there and I don't think you can simplify it that easily by saying every child's parents should contribute to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More accurately: No, they won't garnish your pay or legally obligate you to pay.

But they will refuse your child financial aid and they will have to find money themselves outside the FA system. Is that really what you want?

NP here, but I don't think it's unfair to attach conditions to paying for college (as compared to say feeding/clothing/sheltering a child until they're 18 / graduated from HS, which of course is required). There's a lot of different situations out there and I don't think you can simplify it that easily by saying every child's parents should contribute to college.

Well, fair or unfair - that's how it works. The stakes (tuition) are so high every college-bound kid would declare themselves to be without support to get aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More accurately: No, they won't garnish your pay or legally obligate you to pay.

But they will refuse your child financial aid and they will have to find money themselves outside the FA system. Is that really what you want?

NP here, but I don't think it's unfair to attach conditions to paying for college (as compared to say feeding/clothing/sheltering a child until they're 18 / graduated from HS, which of course is required). There's a lot of different situations out there and I don't think you can simplify it that easily by saying every child's parents should contribute to college.

No one is forcing anyone to pay for college. The colleges are not passing out judgements, they are evaluating financial aid recipients. You have a rich parent who won't pay for college? Sucks for you. The colleges aren't responsible for fixing that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More accurately: No, they won't garnish your pay or legally obligate you to pay.

But they will refuse your child financial aid and they will have to find money themselves outside the FA system. Is that really what you want?

NP here, but I don't think it's unfair to attach conditions to paying for college (as compared to say feeding/clothing/sheltering a child until they're 18 / graduated from HS, which of course is required). There's a lot of different situations out there and I don't think you can simplify it that easily by saying every child's parents should contribute to college.

Well, fair or unfair - that's how it works. The stakes (tuition) are so high every college-bound kid would declare themselves to be without support to get aid.

PP here. I think you and the poster below you misinterpreted what I was saying. Removing the double negative, the bolded part would be "I think it's fair [for parents] to attach conditions to paying for college." I wasn't addressing how colleges allocate financial aid at all.