Depends on the state, here is my list -- may not be up to date, but I think tendacy is to expand. I think state is based on state where parent having custody lives.

Alabama - Courts may require parents to provide post-minority support for child's college education. Bayliss v. Bayliss, 550 So. 2d 1038 (1989); Ala. Code 30-3-1.

Alaska - Courts may not require parents to pay for college. H.P.A. v. S.C.A., 704 P.2d 205 (Alaska 1985).

Arizona - No statute or case law holding parents to duty. Solomon v. Findley, 167 Ariz. 409. 808 P.2d 294 (1991).

Arkansas - No statute or case law holding parents to duty. Solomon v. Findley, 167 Ariz. 409. 808 P.2d 294 (1991).

California - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Colorado - Colo. Rev. Stat. § 14-10-115(1.5)(b) provides that for orders entered prior to July 1, 1997, support may be ordered. In re Marriage of Robb, 934 P.2d 927 (Colo. Ct. App. 1997).

Connecticut - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Delaware - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

District of Columbia - D.C. Code § 16-916 provides that minor children are entitled to support; the age of majority is 21.

Florida - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Georgia  No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Hawaii - Haw. Rev. Stat. § 580-47 and Haw. C.S.G. provide that courts may order support for adult children in college.

Idaho - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Illinois - 750 Ill. Law. Con. Stat. § 5/513 provides that court may make provisions for educational expenses of child, whether or minor or majority age.

Indiana - Ind. Code § 31-1-11.5-12(b)(1) provides that a child support order may include sums for institution of higher learning.

Iowa - Iowa Code § 598.1(2) provides that support means an obligation which may include support for a child between 18 and 21.

Kansas - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Kentucky - No statute or case law holding parent to duty. Reed v. Reed, 547 S.W.2d 4 (Ky. 1970).
Louisiana - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Maine - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Maryland - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Massachusetts - Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 208, § 28 allows court to render support order for child between ages 18 and 21 who is dependent on parent for support.

Michigan - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Minnesota - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Mississippi - Age of majority is 21; college support may be ordered. Stokes v. Martin, 596 So. 2d 879 (Miss. 1992).

Missouri - Mo. R. Civ. Pro. 88.01; Mo. Rev. Stat. § 452.240.5 provides that support obligation may be extended to age 22 for college.

Montana - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Nebraska - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Zetterman v. Zetterman, 245 Neb. 255, 512 N.W.2d 622 (1994).

Nevada - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

New Hampshire - Gnirk v. Gnirk, 134 N.H. 199, 589 A.2d 1008 (1991) held that support may be awarded for college expenses.

New Jersey - Newburgh v. Newburgh, 88 N.J. 529, 443 A.2d 1031 (1982) held that court has jurisdiction to entertain motion to modify original judgment of divorce to award payment of college expenses.

New Mexico - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

New York - N.Y. Dom. Rel. Law § 240(1-b)(c)(7) provides that court may award educational expenses for college to age 21.

North Carolina - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

North Dakota - N.D. Cent. Code § 14-09-08 allows court to order college expenses. Donarski v. Donarski, 581 N.W.2d 130 (N.D. 1998)

Ohio - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Oklahoma - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Oregon - Or. Rev. Stat. § 107.275(1)(e) authorizes court to order parent to pay support for child attending school to age 21. In re Marriage of Crocker, 157 Or. App. 651 (1998)

Pennsylvania - No authority to award college support. Curtis v. Kline, 542 Pa. 249, 666 A.2d 265 (1995)

Rhode Island - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

South Carolina - Court may order college support. Risinger v. Risinger, 273 S.C. 36, 253 S.E.2d 652 (1979)

South Dakota - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Tennessee - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Texas - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Utah - Utah Code Ann. § 15-2-1 provides that in divorce actions, courts may order support to age 21.

Vermont - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Virginia - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Washington  Wash. Rev. Code § 26.19.090 provides that the court may, in its discretion, award college support.

West Virginia - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Wisconsin - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Wyoming - No statute or case law holding parent to duty.

Actually KKNY,

It doesnt depend on where the parent with custody lives per se. It depends on the state where the original child support order was made. Once there is an original order for child support, any subsequent orders cannot extend the duration, or cut short the duration of child support from the original state.

So, if there is an order already for any support at all, the child support laws of the state that made that order would be the deciding factor, even if neither party lives in that state anymore, and even if another state has modified it since.

If there is no child support order at all that has ever been entered, then yes, it would be in the state of the custodial parent.

Even though I live in a state in which child support ends at 18, my ex husband must pay support for my children until they are finished their first bachelor degree, as per the laws of Ontario, where the original child support order was made.

I think it can depend if you get CS order moved. Which I think happens when both parents, or court, agrees to custodial parent moving, but you may be right.

The process of moving a CS order doesn't remove the case from the original court. If both parties move (or even just the custodial parent moves) to another state, they can "register" the original order in their new jurisdiction. That opens a file in the new state so modifications can be made or used for enforcement, but the state where the original order is made retains jurisdiction as kathline stated.

thanks! I appreciate any CS advice, I never had CS filled though courts so i have no clue. BF is pretty clueless too.

We are in MI, and as I can see there is no statute. There was no original CS filed because of SD's age, even though she was 17 at the time of separation, she turned 18 at the time of divorce. There was no custody or CS, SD stayed with dad because she wanted to and mom never contributed. Because of her age I doubt any CS can be filled. BF don't want to mess with BM, she made their divorce a living hell, so he wants nothing to do with her, but I would like him to try to get something out of her.

I understand one cannot be forced to pay for college, but how about paying for anything else?

Everything I have read says no parent, divorced or not...has to pay for college. My sister and her husband paid for their oldest son's education, it took their life's savings. They could not have afforded to pay for the second son's education. I am not sure I would or could have paid for a college education for my children. If it is as expensive as I have heard, there is no way I could have. If the parents agreed to do this and it was in the divorce papers, I believe they would have to.

Jonesy,

This is very state specific. NY, NJ and Mass will order a parent to pay, depending on the facts (students ability, parents ability to pay, etc), EVEN IF NOT IN THE CS OR DIVORCE AGREEMENT. I dont know what you have read, and it may be specific to your state, but everything I have read says divorced parents in some state can be made to pay. Dont know about non-divorced paarents.

I dont know about your sister's situation, and what their standard of living is. And dont know why they didnt split whatever resources they had.

I think KK's right. A lot of states have policies in place to force divorced parents to pay tuition (I personally think that's a big load of crap and that there's no way parents should be legally required to pay tuition, that it should be a personal choice depending on a lot of circumstances, but that's an argument we've had 100 times on here and will never be resolved)

Here (I'm in Canada) the law assumes that parents will help their kids through one degree, so a lot of COs mandate CS through a bachelor's or a trade school course. Depending on the situation, the CO may or may not include tuition costs. I think there's pretty good consistency between provinces, and I'm pretty certain that in mine it's on a case by case basis.
As a whole, our courts theorize parents would at least partially support kids under 25 and in school. So, obviously for me that didn't work out to CS, but rather that the federal government gave me ~$200/month in Orphan's Benefits from her government pension until I was 25, as long as I was in school full-time. I miss my extra $200/month!!

My X pays for DD's college in full just because, there was no formal agreement through courts, I was CP and always was more involved in DD's life (as almost every mom). It is my X's proposal to me to pay for her college, maybe guilt? I don't know if he will continue since his finances went down due to his divorce to 2nd wife, but he will pay until he can. I cannot pay for her college. I took loans for my own graduate school and am up to my neck in debt, I simply don't have the money.

As about BF, when they were married they had an agreement to pay for their kids college, of course no formal agreement due to them being married and him not planning to divorce. As soon as BM left, she stopped any financial contributions to SD. She left just before SD started college, she didnot inform anyone about leaving although it was planned much ahead of time. BF does not ask for tuition, he pays that, but she wouldn't even give $5 to her daughter, wouldn't go to her college (just 2 hours away), would not bring her anything, wouldn't help when SD gets sick etc. She got half of all the financial resources as per divorce decree and yet wouldn't contribute.

Does the cs get paid directly to a parent or to the child or to the school where the child is attending? Is the amount the same amount as cs? My DH has 2 girls & then we have 3 babies together. My DH overpays now & also pays $1,000 for visitation costs that was included in original order. We have $0 dollars in retirement & are 40 yo & very paycheck to paycheck. I hope we can contribute some for college but I think if married families aren't required to pay neither should blended families. Do they make both parents pay?

i don't think anyone makes parents pay for college. I think it is only if they decide to pay or feel moral obligations. X pays for college and helps with her cost of living, cost of living goes to her directly and tuition is paid to college. DD is 20, so nothing goes to me everything is between them. I and X discuss legistics but nothing goes through me. X didn't pay nearly as much CS as it is decsribed by other people and due to a long distance she only spent 3 months a year with him, the rest with me. I feel and he feels that i raised her pretty much alone, so now he pays for her education. But i don't think you can make anyone to pay if they don't want to or can't.

Fd, In many states, inlcuding NY, NJ and Mass, yes, a court can order payments for college, even without anything in custody or seperation agreements. And it does happen.

In Massachusetts, for example, the law states:

"The court may make appropriate orders of maintenance, support and education of any child who has attained age eighteen but who has not attained age twenty-one and who is domiciled in the home of a parent, and is principally dependent upon said parent for maintenance. The court may make appropriate orders of maintenance, support and education for any child who has attained age twenty-one but who has not attained age twenty-three, if such child is domiciled in the home of a parent, and is principally dependent upon said parent for maintenance due to the enrollment of such child in an educational program, excluding educational costs beyond an undergraduate degree."

http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/208-28.htm

So child support does not end until 21 even if the child is not in school, as long as the child is being principally supported by the custodial parent - 23 if in college, and the court can order the NCP to pay educational costs as well.

tos and kkny, it is good then. i hear that CS doesn't end if kid is full time in college but I wasn't sure about paying for college.

I think it is wrong when NCP dad finishes CS and ten enjoys his financial freedom while CP runs around looking for ways to pay for college.

Same with CP father. BF's X refuses to help with anything and he pays for college for his DD and supports her fully. There was never CS arrangement, X left when both kids were of legal age. So now she says she doesn't have to help with college. Yes, she doesn't have to but how about some decency? Well she took in TOM who doesn't work and she supports him fully, of course she cannot afford helping with her children education.

FD,

It depends on the state. IMHO, the states that tend to depend more on expenesive private schools are more likley to require assistance. I dont think California does, but I think there are a higher percentage of children attend public schools.

Yes, I agee common decency.

What I posted was about any state. Your kids can't force you to pay for college, there is no law in this country that says you have to pay for your kids college education. I would pay for anyone's college if I could afford it. As a matter of fact my heir is a college, I believe in education. But we are not required by law to pay for an education beyond the 12th grade unless it is written up in the divorce.

JOneys, you are wrong. You may be correct in your state, but trust me in NY, in NJ, and many other states courts can and do order it. This is recogniation of that fact that children of divorce are going to have more diffiultity getting their parents to pay for college.