Q: Are both my parents responsible for helping me pay for college? I'm hoping to get scholarships and grants but

A: There is no right to college in Illinois and there is no law that states that your parents need to pay for your college. You will be an adult when you go to college. Your parents are only responsible for you at that point if they choose to be. This becomes tricky for a college student if their parents make enough money to disqualify them from financial aid. The loans available to the student directly are not usually enough to cover college. In NJ, a court ordered the parents of a disobedient child to pay for the child's college regardless of her disobedience. This is an extreme case, and there is no telling whether it would hold up on appeal. The parents did not appeal the decision. So, your best bet is to be sugary nice and convince your father that you are the best child ever and he will be so proud of you with your college degree that he will have no option to turn you down. Your other option is to become independent, work to save money for college. At age 24, you will be considered independent for financial aid purposes and may qualify for aid at that point.

A: Apparently, your parents have a court order whereby your father was ordered to pay one-half of your education. What was supposed to happen with the other one-half? Yes, your parents are supposed to go to mediation if they do not agree. If that doesn't work, then your mother should be suing your father for college expenses to be paid on your behalf.