Try a "place-holder" EIN for the NY tax interview (e.g. 99-9999999).
I just did that in a practice return and it allowed me to continue to "Great News! You're Getting a Tax Break for your Tuition".
While the IRS may have an EIN data file for all U.S. schools (for verification purposes) , I suspect NY does not. I could not verify this through e-filing, though.
Please let us know.
