WHAT QUALIFIES AS AT LEAST HALF TIME STUDENT

High school does not count toward the educational credits.

Here are the IRS definitions for at least a 1/2 time student, quoted from form 1098-T instructions "

"Box 8. Check if at Least Half-Time Student

Check this box if the student was at least a half-time student during any academic period that began in 2011. A half-time student is a student enrolled for at least half the full-time academic workload for the course of study the student is pursuing. Your institution's standard for a half-time student work load must equal or exceed the standards established by the Department of Education under the Higher Education Act and set forth in 34 C.F.R. section 674.2(b). "

Here are the IRS definitions for full time student from PUB 17

"Full-time student.   A full-time student is a student who is enrolled for the number of hours or courses the school considers to be full-time attendance.

Student defined.   To qualify as a student, your child must be, during some part of each of any 5 calendar months of the year:

   1. A full-time student at a school that has a regular teaching staff, course of study, and a regularly enrolled student body at the school, or
   2. A student taking a full-time, on-farm training course given by a school described in (1), or by a state, county, or local government agency.

The 5 calendar months do not have to be consecutive.

School defined.   A school can be an elementary school, junior or senior high school, college, university, or technical, trade, or mechanical school. However, an on-the-job training course, correspondence school, or school offering courses only through the Internet does not count as a school.

Vocational high school students.   Students who work on “co-op” jobs in private industry as a part of a school's regular course of classroom and practical training are considered full-time students. "