Purdue becomes the first U.S. university to impose AI graduation requirements

Purdue University has become the first U.S. college to announce artificial intelligence graduation requirements, bolstering a nationwide push to adapt U.S. education to emerging workplace needs.

Starting with this fall’s entering freshmen, the Indiana school’s “AI@Purdue” strategy will mandate an “AI working competency” for all undergraduates at its West Lafayette campus and Indianapolis satellite.

Purdue, the state’s largest university, has created five artificial intelligence graduation requirements for more than 44,000 students: Learning with AI, Learning about AI, Researching AI, Using AI and Partnering in AI.

“This foundational curriculum will ensure that all Boilermaker students and graduates have working competency in AI tools and applications for the future of work,” reads a statement on the AI@Purdue website.

The benchmarks require that students learn how to weigh AI’s “strengths and limits,” demonstrating critical thinking about how to use it ethically in the workplace. As examples, the university touted its partnership with Google and recent AI research into the “biological manufacturing” of food products.

A page on the AI@Purdue site estimates that the new AI requirements will save staff $3.5 billion and more than 127,000 work hours.

However, it remains unclear precisely what students will learn and who will teach it. The Washington Times has reached out to Purdue for clarification.

Higher education insiders offered mixed reactions.

“The Purdue plan could easily become another box to check on a punch list for graduation,” said Caroline Levander, a vice president for global strategy at Rice University.

Joe Vercellino, a Michigan author who advises students on how to think critically about AI, pointed to emerging research correlating its growing use to “a decline in critical thinking skills.”

“If the university is teaching AI competency, they are probably already behind on its use,” said Mr. Vercellino, a former Detroit charter school teacher. “It would be comparable to teaching a class on TikTok: Everyone in the room is already lightyears ahead of you.”

Others praised Purdue for making AI a baseline requirement and predicted that other colleges would follow its example.

“Purdue is leading at a moment when higher education needs clarity, not hesitation,” said Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, an advocacy network of 19 public research universities that includes Purdue.

Other schools in the alliance include Virginia Commonwealth University, Oregon State University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Ms. Burns said these campuses “are eager to learn from this work and build on Purdue’s insights to help shape a national, collective approach to AI literacy and safety.”

Arie Brish, a business management professor at private St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, thanked Purdue for treating AI as “just another tool” that students will need to master.

“Some schools’ resistance to AI is driven by the fear that this will make it easier to cheat,” said Mr. Brish, a longtime technology executive and investor. “There were similar concerns when calculators were introduced.”

Purdue’s unique graduation requirements come as dozens of universities have launched AI courses and degrees in recent years.

The Trump administration and lawmakers in California, home to the nation’s most lucrative tech companies, have endorsed embedding AI literacy requirements in education.

The Department of Education announced Monday that it would distribute $169 million in federal grants “to support the responsible use of artificial intelligence” on college campuses, further incentivizing the trend.

“The Trump Administration is reenvisioning the future of higher education – ensuring that programs are centered on student success, workforce readiness, and are adaptive to new technology and innovations,” Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education David Barker said in a statement.

Some foreign universities have begun requiring AI literacy for their technical programs, but have not imposed graduation requirements across the board.

AI rush

ChatGPT, a Microsoft-funded AI that mimics human behavior as it assembles a massive database of knowledge, has become wildly popular among students studying for exams.

Multiple studies estimate that more than 9 in 10 students now use generative AI for homework and exams, reflecting a massive surge since ChatGPT debuted publicly in November 2022.

The chatbot and others like it present the illusion of talking with a friend who wants to do your work for you. They can compose college essays based on assignment prompts, solve complex math or physics equations, and pass the medical exam required to become a doctor.

Other campuses that have expanded voluntary AI course offerings to meet changing job market needs include American University and the Catholic University of America, both in the District of Columbia.

“AI literacy has become a baseline requirement like computer literacy was in the early 90s,” said Lacey Kaelani, an American University alumnus and CEO of the job search engine Metaintro, which uses AI to connect applicants to job openings. “In 2026, companies will not be hiring graduates who do not have the ability to utilize AI tools effectively.”

Walsh College in Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution that has launched an AI major, have also developed fresh coursework.

“This is absolutely the wave of the future,” said Dave Schippers, a cybersecurity professor and chief academic officer at Walsh.

But Jonathan Zimmerman, a Penn professor of the history of education, warned that it remains unclear whether Purdue will help its students understand “the dangers of AI to human cognition and understanding.”

“The devil is in the details here, and I would like to learn more about them,” Mr. Zimmerman said.