Tom Cruise hasn’t been seen with his daughter Suri since 2013 – but he’s still helping out from the sidelines.
The 62-year-old star of “Mission Impossible” has reportedly split from his 18-year-old ex-wife Katie Holmes, but is said to be shelling out a considerable sum of money for her foreseeable future.
Suri recently moved into the dormitory at Carnegie Mellon University, a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but it is not her mother, Katie, who has to pay the high tuition fees.
According to DailyMail.com, Tom will cover the $65,000 annual tuition fees after agreeing to fund Suri’s entire education following his divorce from Katie in 2012 after six years of marriage.
When the couple separated, Katie was granted sole custody of their daughter. The divorce agreement also stipulated that Tom would pay $400,000 annually in child support, as well as all “medical, dental, insurance, education, college and other extracurricular expenses” for Suri.
Since Suri is now 18 years old and no longer lives with her mother, child support payments have been stopped, but Tom is “fulfilling his obligation” by continuing to pay for her education.
The college freshman was spotted settling into her new campus home with the help of her famous mom last weekend while Tom was busy filming another installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
The mother-daughter duo were spotted carrying bags and walking around the campus together. Suri, who looked like a relaxed and stylish young adult, wore a casual white top paired with comfortable baggy denim shorts and white sneakers.
Suri’s move-in day marked the beginning of her journey at Carnegie Mellon University, where she will begin her studies on August 26, according to the university’s website.
The teenager, who grew up in the spotlight as the child of Hollywood royalty, now experiences a more typical college life: she shares a dorm room with another student, which is a stark contrast to her luxurious upbringing in New York City.
Carnegie Mellon University offers several residence hall options, including the large Donner House, a four-story residence hall that houses nearly 250 first-year students, and the smaller, all-female Scobell House, which can accommodate 88 female students.
Although dorm life is simpler compared to her previous home, Suri has access to a wide range of on-campus dining options, from cappuccinos and croissants at Au Bon Pain to pasta dishes at Ciao Bella to kosher meals at The Edge Cafe and Market.
A state-of-the-art wellness center is available for your fitness needs.
Katie certainly feels her daughter’s absence and spoke to Town and Country magazine earlier this year about Suri moving out of home.
“You want them to stay with you forever, but they are these incredible creatures and you have to do everything you can to give them what they need – and then they will go. And that will be very, very sad for me,” she said.
“Of course I will miss the closeness, but I am really proud of her and I am happy,” she continued.
“I remember that age, that time of beginnings. It’s exciting to learn about yourself and I loved that time, so it makes me happy to think of it like that.”