Tom Cruise Seals Rich Dad Title by Covering Suri’s College Expenses

What Tom Cruise lacks in presence, he more than makes up for in dollars, at least when it comes to Suri Cruise. The two are reportedly estranged and haven’t been photographed together since April 2013. Still, Tom is showing the money and footing the bill for Suri’s college tuition — and at $64,596 a year plus fees and living expenses, it’s quite the bill.

Suri’s choice of college seems to be a clear sign she wants to escape Tom’s celebrity shadow for good. The teen enrolled at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, better known for science and tech than film and television. However, per Tom and Katie Holmes’ divorce settlement, he’s obliged to pay for Suri’s education. “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,” a source told the Daily Mail. “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.”

It’s unlikely he’ll pop up at any Carnegie family weekends, though. After more than a decade apart, Tom and Suri’s relationship appears tarnished beyond repair. He was nowhere to be seen when she celebrated her 18th birthday, and when she graduated from high school, she chose to go by Noelle — Holmes’ middle name — not Cruise. “She is showing praise for her mother by using her middle name,” a source told Page Six, adding that Suri is keen to carve her own path in life.

Tom and Suri Cruise reportedly have zero contact these days. But it hasn’t always been that way. When Tom and Katie Holmes were married, it seemed like Suri was permanently attached to his arm, as he carried her wherever they went. However, everything changed after Holmes blindsided Tom (and the rest of the world) by slapping him with divorce papers in June 2012.

Holmes was awarded full custody of Suri, who was 5 years old at the time of her parents’ split. Meanwhile, according to TMZ, Tom was granted “significant custodial time.” But within a year, things seemingly fizzled out between the dad and daughter, leading to their purported estrangement. As Holmes dropped their daughter at college in Pittsburgh, Tom was soaking up rays in the Mediterranean and zipping above the gray skies of London in a helicopter. He’s reportedly lived in the capital since 2021, making the most of his time in Cool Britania by breakdancing at Posh Spice’s star-studded 50th birthday party, gushing about Queen Elizabeth II at her jubilee celebration, and fangirling at Taylor Swift’s Wembley concert extravaganza.

“He was trading friendship bracelets with superfans and dancing to ‘Shake It Off’ in a crowd filled with young ladies who were around his daughter’s age. This after skipping Suri’s graduation — it’s like he’s living a double life,” a source told InTouch in July 2024.