Q: I'm graduating high school before i turn 18 and i want to go out of state for college, but my father doesn't want me to.
I am 17 years old, and I live in Tennessee. My parents got divorced when I was 7. I'm going into my senior year of high school, i'm graduating in December, and I want to start college in January; the college i want to go to is out of state. My mother is all for it and is completely supporting me and helping me get my college applications together and visit colleges. However, I will still be 17 until May of 2018, so i will be 17 when i am planning to move, and my father is extremely difficult and does not want me to go out of state. If I decided to go without his approval, would I be breaking the law? And is there anything he could actually do, legally, to make me have to stay in Tennessee and not go to college like I have planned? My mom is my primary care giver but my parents have shared custody of me.
A: Short answer is you would not be breaking the law, but there is probably more here than meets the eye. You don't say how you will support yourself or who will pay the bills. If he is required by the divorce decree to pay for college expenses or anything else past your 18th birthday, he has a say in how those funds are spent.
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