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Does child support include college tuition?

On Behalf of | May 20, 2015 | Family Law

College tuition is not included in child support. In Florida, a parent’s obligation to provide support for a child ends once the child reaches the age of 18, or is attending high school with a good faith basis to graduate prior to reaching the age of 19.  Court’s have held that any duty a parent has to pay an adult child’s college expenses is moral rather than legal.  However,  spouse execute an agreement to pay their child’s college costs. It is valid and may be enforced by either party to the agreement.  An agreement to pay college expenses is not child support, hence one cannot enforce it by a Motion for Contempt (unless the contract includes that.)  Otherwise, the parent who is seeking the payment will be required to file an ordinary civil proceeding to seek specific performance of the contract.  Once a final judgment has been entered in a divorce, the Court can only use its powers of contempt to address child support or alimony or potentially to require the spouse to perform an act like obtaining life insurance.

See: Grapin v. Grapin, 450 So.2d 853, 854 (Fla.1984).

https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.30.html