in general, that's not true

beside hope credit, there is also a lifetime learning credit of $2k. but the student must be enrolled in a degree program as well.

in general, education expense is not deductible personal expense. unless you can justify that this education is necessary for your existing job or business, otherwise you can't deduct it without an explicit rule that says you can.

i am not sure where you get your idea from. but be careful nowadays. the governments, both state and federal, are faced with a massive deficit. so it is foreseeable that they will enforce their policies more rigorously and demand higher penalties.