A Singapore Family Court has ruled largely in favor of a father who opposed footing half of his daughter's Australian university tuition fees, despite a prior maintenance order requiring him to pay 50% of her educational expenses.
The parents, divorced over a decade ago, have a daughter turning 22 this year. The mother sought court intervention to compel the father to pay for half of their daughter's six-year medicine course in Australia, which carries a financial commitment exceeding S$401,000 (US$310,000).
District Judge Kow Keng Siong noted that paying half the tuition would require the father to contribute about S$2,789 monthly—approximately 30% of his S$9,500 income. The father had expressed concerns from the outset about the high cost and preferred that their daughter attend a local university instead.
After the daughter received an offer from an Australian university in September 2023, she informed her father of her intention to study medicine there and requested his sponsorship or to act as a guarantor for an education loan. However, the court found it unreasonable to compel the father to support the mother's personal choice against his objections.
Judge Kow criticized the mother's interpretation of the 50% maintenance order as a "blank cheque" and advance approval for half of any tertiary expenses incurred.
The mother claimed the father had increased monthly maintenance payments to S$1,450 in March 2018 and to S$1,500 in February 2021 at their daughter's request but reverted to paying only S$650 from November 2025.
The court emphasized that while the law supports educational aspirations, it does so only within reasonable maintenance bounds. It suggested the parents communicate to plan for their daughter's welfare moving forward, stating, "What you do for her moving forward, beyond what the law requires of you, is yours to decide. Your actions will be remembered, either way."
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