You don't get money back from your school if you qualify for the tuition and fees deduction. The Tuition and Fees Deduction can reduce the amount of your income subject to tax by up to $4,000. This deduction, reported on Form 8917, Tuition and Fees Deduction, is taken as an adjustment to income. This means you can claim this deduction even if you do not itemize deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040). This deduction may be beneficial to you if, for example, you don’t qualify for the American opportunity or lifetime learning credits.
You may be able to take one of the education credits for your education expenses instead of a tuition and fees deduction. You can choose the one that will give you the lower tax. You cannot claim the tuition and fees deduction as well as an education credit for the same expense.
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-benefits-for-education-information-center
You may be able to deduct qualified education expenses for higher education paid during the year for yourself, your spouse or your dependent, UNLESS:
- your filing status is married filing separately;
- another person can claim an exemption for you as a dependent on his or her tax return;
- your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is more than $80,000 ($160,000 if filing a joint return);
- you were a nonresident alien for any part of the year and did not elect to be treated as a resident alien for tax purposes; or
- an education credit is claimed for expenses of the student for whom the qualified education expenses were paid.
The tuition and fees deduction can reduce the amount of your income subject to tax by up to $4,000.
https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/tuition-and-fees-deduction-at-a-glance
