Can I claim college/university expenses for purchasing books from American College of Sports Medicine for a personal training certificate?

No.

An eligible educational institution is a school offering higher education beyond high school. It is any college, university, vocational school, or other post secondary educational institution eligible to participate in a student aid program run by the U.S. Department of Education.

This includes most accredited public, nonprofit and privately-owned–for-profit postsecondary institutions.

If you aren’t sure if your school is an eligible educational institution:

• Ask your school if it is an eligible educational institution, or

• See if your school is on the U.S. Federal Student Aid Code List. 

TIP: A small number of schools, not on this list, may be eligible educational institutions. So, you may need to ask the school.