The American Opportunity Tax Credit Eligibility

[Kittifernan]

I am a permanent resident and earned a bachelor's degree from a foreign country. According to the qualifications for the American Opportunity Tax Credit, if you earned the first four years of college-level credit at an eligible school, you would not be eligible. However, my school from the foreign country appears to be ineligible. Am I eligible to claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit?

[Hal_Al · Accepted solution]

Q. My school from the foreign country appears to be ineligible. Am I eligible to claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit?

A. Yes, if the foreign school you attended is not on the DOE list, your time there does not count for the 4 years of post secondary education rule.  Also,  the school you are currently attending must be an eligible institution. 

In addition to verifying that your current school is eligible, I suggest that you also  verify that your foreign school is  NOT on the dept. of education list of "eligible institutions".  Enter your school at:

   https://www.savingforcollege.com/eligible-institutions    https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home

EDITED 2/20/25 5:13PM PST

@Kittifernan