I have already graduated college and took this trip to gain more in depth knowledge of what I had already studied by seeing the most famous works of art that are located in Europe at The Louvre and in Florence, and the Vatican, which I studied while in college. I graduated 2014 with a Bachelor in Art History and signed up after graduation to take the trip in 2015. Can I claim this in my taxes?
June 5, 2019 10:25 PM last updated June 05, 2019 10:25 PM Connect with an expert
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No. You can't deduct the cost of travel as a form of education. This is true whether you are currently employed and travel to improve your job skills or if you are a college student and travel to get more experience in your field of study.
Travel for education purposes is only deductible as a job expense if you are attending a seminar or other such education opportunity. Without a formal educational setting, travel to gain knowledge does not qualify.
Your trip also does not qualify as a college education expense since the EF Foundation is not a qualified education institution. In order to be a qualified education institution the institution must be eligible to participate in a student aid program run by the U.S. Department of Education.
