Hello I graduated from India BDS(4years) and I started my dental school from 2017. I got my 1098T. AM, I am permanent resident i still eligible for Amer oppo credit?

[evrbio81]

I am filing my taxes could you please help me in this regard?

Thanks,

[apatha]

My spouse is in the same situation and I am getting conflicting answers on turbo tax community itself. Can someone really confirm it again? BDS is an undergrad US equivalent which clearly goes against AOC eligibility.

[LisaBr]

I've added some additional information to my original answer that may be helpful.

[LisaBr · Accepted solution]

You are eligible to claim the American Opportunity Credit is you are NOT filing as a Non-Resident Alien.

The following link clarifies who qualifies for this credit:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3262983-who-is-eligible-to-take-the-american-opportunity-tax-credi...

There is a new requirement for 2017 that requires a Federal EIN in order to claim the American Opportunity Credit.  Without this number, you will not be able to claim the AOC but could be eligible for other educational benefits such as the Lifetime Learning Credit.  You would need to contact the foreign school to see if they have a US Fed EIN, some of them do.

"Educational institution's EIN required. To claim the American opportunity credit, you must provide the educational institution's employer identification number (EIN) on your Form 8863. You should be able to obtain this information from Form 1098-T or the educational institution."  [From:  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf  Chapter Two

[Edited:  04.17.2018  9:51 PM]