Can I claim education credits for a high school student taking a college class?

Even if your child has not graduated from high school, you still may be able to get an education credit for the child’s college-level classes.

Tuition to the college must be paid by you and not the high school in order to claim the credit.

For the Lifetime Learning Credit, the child must be enrolled in at least one course that is a part of a degree program. This means that most advanced placement courses do not qualify, since they are not actually part of a degree program.

For the American Opportunity Credit, the child must be enrolled at least half-time in a post-secondary degree program. Your child probably is not an eligible student under these rules as most colleges do not allow high school students to be enrolled at least half-time.