I am dependent college student. I am paying full tuition on my own. does this qualify me for a greater refund?

Here is how education tax benefits work. Deduction and credits for qualified education expenses (tuition, fees and in some cases books and course related materials and equipment) are tied to dependency. Whoever claims the student as a dependent (student or someone else) on their tax return is the one who can claim qualified education expenses paid out of pocket or with loans for deduction or credit. It doesn't matter who actually paid the expenses. On the other hand, scholarships that paid non qualified expenses such as room and board must be entered on the student's tax return as income.