education tax credit

I have a friend whose child is a senior in college, and will therefore graduate next May, 2008. The friend has taken all appropriate education tax credits for the college years to date, but is trying to figure out how to maximize tax credits on next year's taxes: The child may or may not qualify as a dependent next year, depending pretty much entirely on when the child gets a job after graduation (majoring in political science) and therefore how much money the child makes for the year (all other criteria for being a dependent would most likely be met: relationship, residency, age, marital status, student for 5 months of the year). Second semester tuition is due in January 2008. Tax credits for this year (2007) are already at a maximum for the parent. [Private college...$$$!]. How can my friend structure the payment so that either the parent (with the child as a dependent) or the child (filing not as a dependent) can take the tax credit in 2008, depending on somewhat unpredictable future events of that year? Usually, the parent sends a check directly to the school. Can the parent write a check in January to the child, who can immediately either endorse it to the school, or deposit it and send an identical check amount to the school? Or would this approach automatically construe the money as a gift, making the child the only one eligible to take the tax credit? [It will be more than $12,000, so should it be two checks, one from each parent, or would that make it look even more like a gift?] Are there any reasonable ways around this dilemma?