<p>If one is able to claim the IRS' Tuition and Fees Deduction which lowers the taxable income, does that lower figure then become the AGI which the college will use to determine aid in the next year? So that if student receives need-based aid, could that amount be adjusted by virtue of qualifying for that deduction and having a lower AGI?</p>
<p>Yes, but remember, any aid you receive would go to tuition first (except maybe the Elks scholarship type of award).......so if you received, say a Pell grant, your school would apply it to your tuition first, then housing etc. So, it won't be a big deal. I did see it work for my adult child in grad school where the only award was loans & work study, her tuition could reduce her outside earnings by the max $4000 and keep her from losing eligibility whilst still paying for her living expenses.</p>
<p>"Yes, but remember, any aid you receive would go to tuition first"</p>
<p>I'm sorry, I didn't make myself clear. What I was asking was whether colleges, when determining their awards, would consider the AGI to be the number before or after the tax deduction for families who received that tax deduction from the IRS.</p>
<p>Your AGI (adjusted gross income) is found on Line 37 of Form 1040.</p>
<p>Since the tuition and fees deduction is listed on line 34 (and student loan interest is listed on line 33) the answer is that colleges look at the figure derived AFTER the tax deduction is included in your calculation.</p>
<p>It's almost funny that my AGI for this year might be a little lower than for last year!</p>
<p>And certainly the savings account is lower too</p>
<p>By next year, all my assets will be covered under the asset protection allowance. But my income will go up, so impact to EFC will be minimal.</p>
<p>Of course we aren't expecting more FA even if the EFC is lower. And you know things are funky when a 30K scholarship doesn't cover the tuition of the school.</p>