Indiana Child Support Guidelines for College Expenses

In Indiana, a court can order divorced or separated parents to help pay for a child’s college or vocational school under Indiana Code Title 31, Chapter 16 and the Indiana Child Support Guidelines. Indiana child support for college expenses is not automatic. Someone has to ask for it, the request has to come before a firm age deadline, and the court decides whether an order is appropriate based on the parents’ finances, the child’s aid and effort, and the cost of the school.¹

The Filing Deadline That Controls Everything

For any child support order issued after June 30, 2012, a petition for educational needs must be filed before the child turns 19. If the underlying support order predates July 1, 2012, the deadline runs to the child’s 21st birthday.¹

Miss the deadline and the court has no authority to create an educational support order, no matter how strong the case. A petition filed one day late is a petition the judge cannot act on. If the child is close to 19, file first and gather documentation afterward.

A parent or guardian can file. So can the child. An 18-year-old whose parents haven’t taken action can file the petition themselves.¹

Once entered, an educational support order runs “until further order of the court.” There is no built-in expiration; in practice it continues through completion of the degree or until circumstances change enough to justify ending it.

What the Court Considers

Ordering educational support is discretionary. Under Indiana Code 31-16-6-1, the court weighs each parent’s financial resources, the standard of living the child would have had if the parents had stayed together, and the child’s physical and mental condition and educational needs. Indiana Code 31-16-6-2 layers on factors specific to schooling: the child’s academic aptitude and ability, the child’s ability to contribute through work and financial aid, and each parent’s ability to meet the expenses.²

Two Guideline rules can shut an order down before the math even begins. If the family’s expected contribution under the FAFSA is zero, the court should not order educational support. If an educational support order would place a substantial financial burden on the parents, the court should decline to issue one.³ For a parent opposing an order, these are the two most powerful pieces of evidence you can bring.

How the Costs Get Split

Indiana courts use a standardized form, the Post-Secondary Education Worksheet (PSEW), to divide college costs among the two parents and the student.⁴

The worksheet starts with the total cost of attendance: tuition, room and board, books, fees, and other necessary costs. It then subtracts the child’s share, which includes scholarships, grants, student loans, and any cash the student contributes. What remains is the parents’ combined obligation. Each parent’s percentage of that number comes from their proportional share of total adjusted income, carried over from the regular child support worksheet.⁴

Regular child support does not just continue on top of the new order. When a court issues an educational support order, it must reduce ongoing child support for that child to the extent the educational order duplicates what the custodial parent was already receiving.² Room and board paid to a school, for example, replaces the housing and food the custodial parent had been providing, so the weekly support figure drops.

What Expenses Are Covered

The PSEW breaks covered costs into tuition, room and board, books, fees, and an “other” category for additional necessary expenses.⁴ The Guidelines describe the scope as “reasonable and necessary expenses for attending private or special schools, institutions of higher learning, and trade, business or technical schools.”³

Educational support generally reaches undergraduate or initial post-secondary programs only. Graduate and professional schooling, like law school or medical school, falls outside what an Indiana court will order a parent to fund.

The State-School Cost Cap

If the child chooses an expensive private or out-of-state school, the Guidelines let the court cap the parents’ obligation at what it would cost to attend a state-supported college or university.³ Courts commonly benchmark against Indiana University Bloomington. For the 2026–2027 academic year, IU Bloomington’s total in-state cost of attendance is $30,574, which includes $12,142 for tuition and fees, $14,398 for housing and food, $1,320 for books, and $2,714 for transportation and personal expenses.⁵

The cap is not automatic; the Guidelines say the court “may” apply it. Some judges will allow a higher number when a particular program at a more expensive school serves the child’s specific needs. For planning, treat the state-school figure as the ceiling unless there is a real argument for going above it.

What the Student Has to Do

The student is expected to hold up their end. The Guidelines and case law recognize three main responsibilities.

Stay in good academic standing. Indiana universities generally define this as at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA, roughly a C average. Dropping below that puts the order at risk.⁶
Pursue financial aid. Scholarships, grants, and loans are credited to the child’s share on the PSEW, which reduces the parents’ portion.³
Contribute through work when able. Courts look at part-time work during the school year and full-time work over the summer as part of the child’s ability to contribute.²

When Estrangement Ends the Obligation

Indiana case law recognizes “repudiation,” meaning a child’s complete refusal to participate in a relationship with a parent. When a child who has reached 18 repudiates a parent, that parent gets to decide whether and how much to contribute to college, rather than having the court impose an obligation.

Courts focus on the child’s behavior after reaching adulthood, though earlier conduct can matter if it continued past 18. The analysis is fact-intensive. A child who cuts off a parent for no justifiable reason stands in a very different place than a child who keeps distance because of a history of abuse or neglect. The court asks whether the estrangement has “just cause” before releasing a parent from educational support.

Filing the Petition

File in the same court that handled the original divorce, legal separation, or child support case. That court retains jurisdiction over modifications. The petition is often titled a “Petition to Modify Child Support to Include Educational Needs” or a motion for educational expenses.

At the hearing, both parents can present evidence. Bring documentation of the student’s college costs, current financial information for both parents, the student’s academic record, and any financial aid award letters. The court uses this material along with the PSEW to set each parent’s share. A parent opposing an order should focus on the Guideline triggers that block one: a zero expected family contribution on the FAFSA, or evidence that the order would create a substantial financial burden.³

Taxes

Educational support is treated like regular child support for federal tax purposes. The paying parent gets no deduction, and the receiving parent or child does not report the payments as income.⁷ A parent paying tuition directly to a school may separately qualify for federal education tax credits like the American Opportunity Credit, which operates independently of child support.

1
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-16-6-6 – Termination of Child Support Obligation; Exceptions; Petition for Educational Needs
2
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-16-6-2 – Expenses for Child’s Education and Health Care; Title IV-D Fees
3
Indiana Judicial Branch. Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines
4
Indiana Judicial Branch. Post-Secondary Education Worksheet (PSEW)
5
Indiana University Bloomington. Cost of IU
6
Indiana University Bloomington. Academic Standing for Undergraduate Students
7
Internal Revenue Service. Alimony, Child Support, Court Awards, Damages