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New Member
posted Apr 13, 2021 4:32:03 PM

What if I have bachelor's degree from a foreign country do I still answer Yes to the question "Had you earned four years of college credit before 2020" question

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3 Replies
Level 1
Apr 13, 2021 4:45:50 PM

It depends. You'll have to answer Yes if you evaluated your degree in the US, otherwise your foreign degree doesn't count and you can say No. 

New Member
Apr 13, 2021 8:09:48 PM

Thank you for the response. I am currently enrolled in the MSIT program (my I1098T doesn't check the box for a graduate student) and I have previously finished my Bachelor's from a foreign institute. I haven't had any special evaluation for the bachelor's degree. Is it okay to claim the credit?

Expert Alumni
Apr 14, 2021 1:07:38 PM

There is only one relevant question here - "Have you completed the first four years of post-secondary education before the beginning of the tax year?"

It doesn't make any difference where you completed those first four years of post-secondary education or whether you earned a bachelors degree.

 

 If you completed the first four years of post-secondary education before the beginning of the tax year, then you do not qualify for the American Opportunity Credit.

 

Publication 970 (2020), Tax Benefits for Education does not make any distinction between bachelor's degrees earned at a foreign university and those earned in the U.S., nor does it make a distinction on where you might have completed post-secondary education.

 

See Who is eligible to take the American Opportunity Tax Credit?