Here's why Tom Cruise is footing Suri's $65K tuition at Carnegie Mellon despite years of estrangement
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA: Even though Suri Cruise and her father Tom Cruise reportedly do not get along, the Hollywood icon continues to pay for her college education, as he had promised to do years ago.
An interesting financial arrangement has surfaced as Suri, 18, begins her academic career at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Carnegie Mellon University.
According to a friend of Cruise, the 'Mission Impossible' star is paying his daughter's college expenses, which come to about $65,000 a year.
Tom Cruise set to pay Suri's $65K per year tuition fees, claims actor's friend
Suri began her freshman year of college by moving into her dorm on August 20 with the help of her mother, Katie Holmes. The 18-year-old is scheduled to start school on August 26.
As part of the terms of the 2012 divorce settlement between Cruise and Holmes, the Hollywood action legend is solely responsible for covering Suri's educational costs.
According to the divorce agreement, Cruise is required to bear the entire expense of Suri's "medical, dental, insurance, education, college and other extracurricular costs," per Daily Mail.
With this agreement, Suri would be able to follow her academic goals without worrying about money.
A source close to the 'Top Gun' actor said, "Tom is indeed paying for Suri's tuition, he has always paid for her schooling and would never stop as he is a stand-up guy."
"He has never hesitated paying his daughter's child support and expenses. He does not go back on his word. He is fulfilling his obligation," the source added.
Given that Suri has become a legal adult, it's noted that Cruise's $38,000 yearly child support payments to ex-wife Holmes will probably no longer be made.
Suri becomes carefree as father Tom Cruise pulls out his wallet
The relationship of estrangement counterbalances the financial assistance. Cruise and Suri have not been seen in public together since April 2013, suggesting a serious breach in their father-daughter relationship.
The 'Top Gun: Maverick' actor's failure to appear for his daughter's first day of school in 2012 sparked rumors about Cruise and Suri's possible separation, per The List.
Suri appears to be trying to break free from her father's famous last name, evidenced by her recent choice to take on her mother's middle name, Noelle, rather than Cruise.
It looks like Suri's time at Carnegie Mellon will be very different from her childhood in New York City. She is going to embrace the college lifestyle and share a dorm room in an all-female residence hall.
"Suri wants the full college experience so she is giving the dorm rooms a try and she will have a roommate. She is excited for a new chapter in her life," an insider revealed to Daily Mail.
The youngster will reside in a basic dorm room rather than mom Homes' three-bedroom luxurious apartment in a high-rise in New York City. Suri is reported to stay at Scobell House, which can accommodate up to 88 female students.
Holmes has alluded to her daughter's interest in the performing arts, although specifics on Suri's chosen field of study are yet unknown. Holmes said in an interview with Town and Country magazine that Suri might be thinking about going into show business after college.
"I'm proud of my daughter," Holmes told the website, expressing her delight in her daughter's accomplishments. "Of course, I will miss the close proximity, but I'm really proud of her and I'm happy."
The young Suri has already dabbled in the entertainment industry by lending her voice to songs in two of her mother's motion pictures, 'Alone Together' (2022) and 'Rare Objects' (2023).
