Credits are amounts that you are "credited" with as if you had paid the IRS.
You do not normally have to send it back unless you get a letter from the IRS saying that they found a problem with your return.
I can't tell from the post so far, but if you received the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), then you perhaps saw your refund increase over and above what you had withheld. This is how a refundable credit (which the AOTC is) operates, and no, you do not have to pay this back.
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