Divorce, College Expenses and Expected Contribution: The Importance of Communication with your Ex

It is understood that your ex-husband or ex-wife is your former spouse for a reason. Most likely, you have little desire to speak with him/her any more than absolutely necessary.

However, don't underestimate the importance of keeping your ex informed about the choice, as well as the final decision, on where your child will go to college.  If you are the primary parent (where the children live most of the time), you may think that you have the control to make this decision without any input from the other parent.  This is most often not the case. 

To clarify, I would strongly advise you to locate your divorce paperwork- your Property Settlement Agreement, Marital Settlement Agreement or Divorce Judgment - dust it off and take a good read. 

Does it say that the parties will cooperate with each other in the selection of colleges? 

Many times, clients going through divorce often overlook this sentence to go to the important part that states who pays what for college.  However, if you ignore the cooperation in choosing the college and leave your ex out of the selection process entirely, they may have a very good argument for not contributing to the cost of college. 

Be certain to keep your ex-wife/husband informed. Even better, have your child keep the other parent informed of all decisions along the path to choosing where your child will go to college.  Additionally, be certain that you check what your agreement states with regard to your child's obligation to contribute to the college costs, whether it is by way of direct payment, student loans, scholarships, etc.  

Again, this will be written directly into your divorce agreement and will be what any judge will look at if there is a question of who is to pay for college.   This is a wonderful time of your child's life and can also be a very stressful decision.

By taking a few proactive steps to communicate with your ex during this monumental time in your child’s life, you can help to make the process of paying for college less stressful so you can focus on what really matters – launching your child successfully into the next phase of his/her life.   

For any additional questions or concerns on this topic, please feel free to contact the Karen Burr, Esquire at The Burr Law Group at (973) 464-6362.  

About The Burr Law Group

The Burr Law Group was formed by Amy Burr and Karen Burr in 2010.  They are focused on bringing a new paradigm in law practice to the Red Bank area.  After years of valuable experience at larger firms, Amy and Karen decided to form this firm in order to dedicate themselves to providing individual and quality attention to their clients, to assist them through life's monumental events including buying or selling a house, entering into a marriage, and exiting a marriage. Along with their focus on pre-marital and post-judgmental divorce issues, the Burr Law Group and their professional staff are focused on resolving cases in a cost-effective manner while strongly advocating for their client's position in a clear, concise and consistent manner.

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