College Costs for Children of Divorce

In both North Carolina and Virginia, Courts cannot order that a parent pay for a child's college education unless that parent had agreed to do so in a separation agreement or court order. Once a parent has obligated himself or herself to pay for college expenses, however, a court may then enforce that agreement.

Child support ends once a child reaches eighteen. A child still enrolled in high school may continue to be supported until age nineteen (Virginia) or twenty (North Carolina). Each state also has provisions for child support for a disabled child who is incapable of self-support.