@NCperson My assumption was that the student qualified on his own, for the AOTC and even if ineligible for the refundable portion, had enough tax liability to get the non refundable portion. Good catch on the 4 times limit. The family should still come out better if he can only claim the Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) but nowhere near as lucratively as the AOTC (I didn't do the actual math).
