EFFECTS OF PARENTAL DIVORCE ON CHILDRENS FINANCIAL-SUPPORT FOR COLLEGE

No-fault divorce laws, and the lowering of the age of minority from 21 to 18 years have combined to have unintended negative impact on the c hildren of divorce. Previous research has shown that children whose pa rents are divorced are at increased risk for emotional problems and a reduced standard of living. This study was conducted to learn more abo ut the effects of parental divorce on a young person's access to a col lege education. A questionnaire was developed to learn how students pa y for college, and what non-financial support they receive from parent s. The questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample of 192 students at a state university. Findings indicated that young peo ple whose parents were divorced received higher Pell grants, were more likely to provide more of their own necessities, and were more likely to repay their college loans themselves. Further, young people whose parents were divorced were much more likely to have their material and financial needs met by their custodial parents rather than their non- custodial parents. Implications are that young people with divorced pa rents may have less financial support for college from their family, a nd the support they receive is much more likely to come from their cus todial than non-custodial parent. Changes in child support laws and fi nancial aid policies are recommended.