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The expenses of a commuting college student would be a lot higher than the expenses of a high school student. For example, most college students need a car to get to school while the high school provides school buses transportation to high school students. The college students do not get subsidized lunch while the high school students do. These expenses are not trivial.</p>
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<p>Parental support for a college student living at home is a parental expense just as it would be if the parent wrote a check for tuition, room, board, etc., although such support is usually not an obvious line item on the parents’ budget (it is hidden in the grocery expense, utility bill, etc.). I.e. if the parent is not billing the student for it, it is effectively part of the actual family contribution.</p>