A child can be a parent’s dependent if under age 24 and a full-time student who does not provide more than half of his/her support. A full-time student means the child is enrolled in school on a full-time basis for at least part of five months during the year. You must decide whether your son meets these tax requirements to be treated as your dependent.
A tax credit directly reduces tax liability, as opposed to a deduction that reduces income subject to tax.