Purdue University will require every undergraduate on its West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses to complete a mandatory "AI working competency" beginning in 2026 — the first such requirement at a U.S. university. The curriculum focuses on understanding AI capabilities and limits, communicating AI use and risks, and adapting skills as systems evolve. Each college will form industry advisory boards to keep discipline-specific requirements current, and the initiative aligns with Purdue's AI research in agriculture, national security and other applied fields.
Purdue Will Require an AI Competency for All Undergrads — The First U.S. University To Do So
Purdue University has instituted a new "AI working competency" requirement for all undergraduate students on their main campus, Indianapolis and West Lafayette to complete.
Purdue University announced a new mandatory "AI working competency" that every undergraduate must complete beginning in 2026. The requirement will apply to students on Purdue's West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses and is billed by the university as the first undergraduate AI curriculum mandate of its kind at a U.S. university.
The competencies students will be required to pass include understanding AI, which Purdue defines as "identifying the key capabilities, strengths and limits of AI technologies, as well as ways that AI can transform existing methods, processes and tools."
What the Requirement Covers
Purdue says the competency will ensure students can:
Purdue highlighted several AI research areas, including food and agriculture systems where teams are working on "‘biological manufacturing’ for food systems in activities coordinated through the Institute for Digital and Advanced Agricultural Systems (IDAAS) and the Open Ag Technology and Systems Center (OATS)."
- Understand AI: Identify key capabilities, strengths and limits of AI technologies, and recognize how AI can transform methods, processes and tools.
- Communicate About AI: Clearly explain AI use and limitations, develop and defend decisions informed by AI-driven insights, and recognize the influence and consequences of AI in decision-making.
- Adapt To Evolving Systems: Maintain and update skills as AI systems change, emphasizing sustained competence rather than one-off training.
Leadership Perspective
Purdue President Mung Chiang emphasized the urgency and breadth of AI’s impact, saying the university must "lean in and lean forward" across its functions as AI reshapes society and higher education.
Provost Patrick Wolfe said the university is "enormously eager" to work with faculty to implement the requirement and stressed ongoing input from industry: each academic college will form a standing industry advisory board to advise on employers' AI competency needs and help refresh curriculum annually.
Research and Real-World Applications
Purdue highlighted several AI research areas connected to the initiative. Examples include efforts in food and agriculture — where teams are exploring 'biological manufacturing' led by the Institute for Digital and Advanced Agricultural Systems (Idaas) and the Open Ag Technology and Systems Center (OATS) — as well as AI collaborations with national security and defense partners on topics such as hypersonics, energetic materials, cybersecurity, microelectronics and semiconductors.
Goals and Resources
On its AI@Purdue page, the university states that AI use spans classrooms and real-world settings and that the curriculum aims to build a highly skilled, ethically grounded workforce. Purdue also says it will provide guidelines and resources to support faculty and students in teaching and learning about AI.
Fox News Digital sought comment from Purdue and was directed to the university’s official announcement.
