Per IRS Publication 970 Tax Benefits for Education, page 5:

Tax-Free Scholarships and Fellowship Grants

A scholarship or fellowship grant is tax free (excludable from gross income) only if you are a candidate for a degree at an eligible educational institution.

A scholarship or fellowship grant is tax free only to the extent:

• It doesn't exceed your qualified education expenses;
• It isn't designated or earmarked for other purposes (such as room and board), and doesn't require (by its terms) that it can't be used for qualified education expenses; and
• It doesn't represent payment for teaching, research, or other services required as a condition for receiving the scholarship. For exceptions, see Payment for services, later.

Candidate for a degree. You are a candidate for a degree if you:

1. Attend a primary or secondary school or are pursuing a degree at a college or university; or
2. Attend an educational institution that:
   a. Provides a program that is acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor's or higher degree, or offers a program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation; and
   b. Is authorized under federal or state law to provide such a program and is accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation agency.

Eligible educational institution. An eligible educational institution is one whose primary function is the presentation of formal instruction and that normally maintains a regular faculty and curriculum and normally has a regularly enrolled body of students in attendance at the place where it carries on its educational activities.

Qualified education expenses. For purposes of tax-free scholarships and fellowship grants, these are expenses for:

• Tuition and fees required to enroll at or attend an eligible educational institution; and
• Course-related expenses, such as fees, books, supplies, and equipment that are required for the courses at the eligible educational institution. These items must be required of all students in your course of instruction.

Note that any link in the information above is updated each year automatically and will take you to the most recent version of the webpage or document at the time it is accessed.