I had two (divorced) parents and my father told me from birth that I would be a failure if I didn't go to college (fun fact: he never went to college). My whole life it was "you got an A-, why aren't you as smart as whoever got the A? You scored in the 97th percentile, so everyone in the 99is is better than you??" And so on. When I applied to colleges I had a fairly substantial scholarship for tuition, but there are living expenses too. The fact that he did not have a college fund for me, despite saying if I didn't go to college I would be a complete failure (oh and he made 6 figures in a LCL are) just proved to me how much he didn't support me. I'm now in my 30s, with a master's degree and a doctorate and I'm still repaying loans, not for tuition but living expenses. Sorry not sorry, if you tell your key they NEED to go to college and you make 6 figures you absolutely should have a fund for them. My son is 9 and has had a fund since birth that we don't touch no matter what.