Background: I came to the US in Aug 2013, to pursue my Master's degree. After graduating in Dec 2014, I worked for a company in Michigan from Feb 2015 to July 2017. Starting from Aug 2017, I have come back to school in Michigan to pursue my PhD. I have been on an F1 visa from Aug 2013 to Oct 2016, H1B visa from Oct 2016 to July 2017, and then F1 visa again starting from Aug 2017 onwards.
Questions:
1) For tax year 2017, I definitely meet the Substantial Presence Test (> 183 days on H1B visa) which makes me a residential alien for tax purposes. Since I came back to an F1 visa, does that make me a non-resident alien for the rest of 2017 (and hence, a dual-status alien)?
2) If yes, is there a software which handles the dual-status well? Or should I just generate 2 returns (1040/1040-NR) separately and mail them together?