Yes, you can use the Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) for any higher education class. The American Opportunity Credit is reserved for a student who must also be enrolled on at least a half-time basis in a program that leads to a degree, certificate, or other recognized education credential for at least one academic period that started (or was treated as started) during the tax year.
To qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit, you have to have made qualifying tuition and fee payments to a post-secondary school (after high school) during the year.
Open your TurboTax Online or TurboTax Desktop return:
Q. Can I put the cost of an online writing class as a college deduction on my taxes?
A. Probably not.
To be eligible for the tuition credits, the course must be taken at "an eligible institution". The school should be able to tell you if it is an eligible educational institution. In general, an eligible educational institution is an accredited college, university, vocational school, or other postsecondary educational institution, including accredited, public, nonprofit, and proprietary (privately-owned, profit-making) postsecondary institutions. Additionally, in order to be an eligible educational institution, the school must be eligible to participate in a student aid program administered by the Department of Education. If they issue a 1098-T they are probably an eligible institution. Rule of thumb: if you have to ask, your school is not an eligible institution.
Schools that only offer online courses usually do not qualify. Online classes taken at schools that also have classroom instruction usually do count.
Enter your school at the link below, to see if it's on the dept. of education list.