Paying for college can be one of the biggest financial commitments parents make for an adult child, so watching that child skip classes or ignore assignments can be especially frustrating. The stakes are higher than ever: families reported spending an average of $34,019 on college during the 2025–26 academic year, according to Sallie’s latest national study. That kind of money can represent years of savings, current income, or debt that follows a family long after graduation. Still, immediately cutting off support may create more problems than it solves. Parents may get better results by figuring out why their student is struggling and attaching reasonable expectations to continued financial help.
