According to IRS Topic Number 456 - as long as you are legally obligated to repay the loan AND the loan was for a person "who was your dependent when you took the loan" you can then deduct - assuming you meet the other requirements, not mentioned here because I just want to address the dependency status. So it does not appear that they would have to currently be your dependent as long as they WERE when the loan was taken. You may not be shown on the 1098 but still be legally required to pay as a Co-Signor.
