Biological fathers and college. Are they required to pay in Iowa?

Question

Is he responsible fo a 1/3. Could someone point me to the right state statute so i could get a definite answer?

Answer 1

No parent is required by law to pay for their child's college. By the time a child is in college, he/she is an adult. Of course, many parents can and do help with the cost but there are also many others who do not have the money or do not wish to pay for advanced education expenses. As of now, a child is required by law to attend school until the age of 16 (that law may be changed in Iowa to 18) and it is the parents' responsibility to see to it that the child attends. Education is free in public schools through 12th grade.

Answer 2

Nope. There is not statute to point you to. When you go to college, you are an adult. You are, officially, responsible for your own costs. Colleges calculate financial aid based on federal requirements, generally speaking, and that may be where you are getting this idea. It is assumed that a parent will contribute 1/3 of the costs, because most do. It is an average. But it is not a requirement. If Iowa DOES require this, it would likely not be very difficult for a father to appeal it up to federal court, and the father would likely win. You cannot force someone to pay for another adult's life, unless they signed some contract or something saying they would.

Answer 3

I don't think any state requres fathers to pay for college except those who can well afford it and it is in the divorce agreement!

Bio dad can't be forced to pay for college
Monday, December 30, 2002, 8:10 AM
By O.Kay Henderson
The Iowa Court of Appeals has ruled a biological father cannot be forced to pay for his kid's college education. Kristy Maynard was born in 1982, the biological daughter of Richard St. John and Kellie Downing, who never married. There were three separate petitions filed to get St. John to pay child suport early in Kristy's life, but all were dismissed by the courts, priarily because Kristy's mother wouldn't pursue it. In fact, Kristy thought her mother's husband was her dad until she learned the truth shortly after her mother died. Nearly three years ago, the man Kristy grew up thinking was her dad tried to get Richard St. John to pay child support and college expenses for his daughter. The Iowa Court of Appeals says the law doesn't say a dad has to subsidize a child's college education, as a parent is only obligated by law to support his or her child until the child reaches age 18.

Answer 4

i dont think any state has a law that says he has to.....some judges put it in the divorce decree though and if thats the case then he does...my sister divorced (in maryland not iowa) when my neice was only 2....shes now in college and her dad has to pay because the child support order when they divorced said if she went to college he had to either A. pay child support until she was 21 or graduated from college whichever came first or B. pay 1/3 of her tuition