Deductions & credits

No.  It doesn't work like that.  But for young students it is normally limited to offsetting the income taxes that would otherwise have been due, so if your taxable income  has been declining that would explain why your AOC was declining.

(This answer assumed that you are the student and are not being claimed as a dependent.  If you are a student's parent, then the declining credit might be because your income was increasing.)

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