Can a college student deduct expenses to attend a national conference in his major where there are educational workshops?

[stevesusantaxfreaks]

He is a college student with an Athletic Training major, and the summer between his junior and senior year he attended the annual National Athletic Trainers'  Association (NATA) Clinical Symposia & AT Expo.  He attended lectures and workshops such as cavader knee anatomy.  Are registration, travel, lodging and food costs deductible?  The school encourages  students to attend the convention, but do not require attendance.

[DDollar · Accepted solution]

No, those are not qualified education expenses.  They are not tax deductible expenses.  But they do sound like a great investment in his future.

[stevesusantaxfreaks]

Not the answer I was hoping for, but it was the answer I expected.  Thank you for a quick answer!

[DDollar]

You're welcome.  I have one in college.  There are a lot of things I WISH were deductible!