Education & Student Aid · Surprise rank #166
Get Up to $400 Back per Student for College Tuition!
New York taxpayers may be able to turn qualified college tuition into either a refundable state credit or a larger itemized deduction.
Who
Eligible New York taxpayers who paid qualified college tuition for themselves, a spouse or an eligible dependent student under the program rules.
What to do
Start here: Use the IT-272 worksheets to compare the credit with the itemized deduction before filing.
Eligibility: The credit is for full-year New York residents; qualified tuition and eligible-student rules apply. The deduction is useful only when the filer can use New York itemized deductions.
What you get
Form IT-272 lets eligible filers claim either the college tuition credit or the New York college tuition itemized deduction for qualified tuition expenses.
Benefit: A refundable credit of up to $400 per student, or a New York itemized deduction of up to $10,000 per eligible student.
Possible value: Up to $400 cash-value credit per eligible student; the tax value of a $10,000 deduction depends on the filer’s tax situation.
Good to know
Important: A $10,000 deduction is not a $10,000 refund. For many taxpayers the $400 refundable credit will be simpler or more valuable, but the worksheet decides.
Availability: Active
Why people miss it: Families focus on federal education credits and may never compare New York’s separate tuition credit with its state itemized deduction.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026