TL;DR
Purdue University will make an 'AI working competency' a graduation requirement for incoming undergraduates beginning fall 2026 at its West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses. The requirement is not yet defined; deans have been asked to set discipline-specific criteria as part of a broader AI@Purdue strategy.
What happened
Purdue announced that incoming freshmen at its main West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses must satisfy an "AI working competency" in order to graduate, with the requirement taking effect for students who begin in fall 2026. The new mandate is part of the university's broader AI@Purdue plan, which organizes work under five areas: Learning about AI, Learning with AI, Research AI, Using AI, and Partnering in AI. University leaders have assigned academic deans to develop discipline-specific proficiency standards and criteria for the competency. The university is also revising policies on the use of generative AI in teaching and learning; preliminary guidance was published in November. Purdue has already pursued vendor arrangements to provide AI tools to campus, including a 2024 agreement with Microsoft to make GPT-4 available via Copilot with Data Protection. Faculty and students have expressed uncertainty about implementation details and consistency across courses.
Why it matters
- A formal competency requirement could change how curricula incorporate AI across multiple disciplines.
- Employers increasingly expect AI familiarity, and the university frames the move as preparing graduates for a shifting job market.
- Ambiguity around assessment and uniformity across programs may create administrative and academic-integrity challenges.
- Industry partnerships and tool access could shape campus workflows and research, making vendor terms and protections relevant.
Key facts
- Applies to incoming undergraduate students starting fall 2026 at Purdue's main campuses in West Lafayette and Indianapolis.
- The university has not yet defined the specifics of the 'AI working competency'; deans are tasked with developing discipline-specific criteria and proficiency standards.
- AI@Purdue organizes university efforts into five areas: Learning about AI, Learning with AI, Research AI, Learning with AI (use in teaching), and Partnering in AI.
- Purdue is revising policies governing generative AI use in courses; initial guidance was published in November.
- Purdue struck a 2024 deal with Microsoft to provide access to GPT-4 via Microsoft Copilot with Data Protection; that arrangement reportedly does not interact with M365 data and does not save chat data or use it for model training.
- University leadership framed the requirement as a response to labor-market shifts driven by AI and recruiting changes, according to university senate meeting minutes.
- Faculty view AI as an enhancement to education but express concerns about how the requirement will be implemented and whether it will add bureaucratic burdens.
- Purdue hosted an AI Academy over the summer to engage faculty from across colleges on integrating AI in teaching.
- Students have sought clearer, consistent guidance across courses about when and how AI may be used; differing syllabus language has been reported on campus.
What to watch next
- How academic deans translate the directive into discipline-specific proficiency standards and measurable criteria.
- The final version of the university's revised generative-AI-in-teaching-and-learning policies following the November publication of initial guidance.
- How the competency will be assessed and enforced: not confirmed in the source.
- Whether the university publishes detailed terms for its partnerships with industry vendors such as Google, Apple and Arm: not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- AI working competency: A set of practical skills and knowledge that enables a person to use and reason about artificial intelligence tools effectively in academic or professional settings.
- Generative AI: A class of AI systems that can produce content such as text, images, audio or code based on learned patterns from data.
- GPT-4: A large language model developed by OpenAI that can generate human-like text and perform a range of language tasks.
- Copilot with Data Protection: A Microsoft-branded service that integrates large language models with enterprise tools and includes design features intended to limit data exposure and model training on user content.
Reader FAQ
Who must meet the AI working competency?
Incoming undergraduate students who start at Purdue in fall 2026 at the West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses.
Is the competency defined yet?
No. The requirement has not been fully defined; academic deans have been tasked with creating discipline-specific criteria and proficiency standards.
Will students need extra credits to meet the requirement?
The university has stated that no additional credits will be required.
What tools or vendor deals support the initiative?
Purdue has a 2024 arrangement with Microsoft to provide access to GPT-4 via Copilot with Data Protection; it has also engaged with companies including Google, Apple and Arm, though detailed terms were not provided in the source.
How will the competency affect different majors?
Not confirmed in the source. The university directed deans to set discipline-specific standards, indicating variation by program is expected.
AI + ML 53 Purdue makes 'AI working competency' a graduation requirement GPT-before-GPA plan has faculty and students scratching their heads Thomas Claburn Wed 17 Dec 2025 // 23:28 UTC Purdue University last week…
Sources
- Purdue makes 'AI working competency' a graduation requirement
- trustees approve 'AI working competency' graduation …
- Purdue will require 'AI working competency' for graduation
- Purdue University Approves New AI Requirement For All …
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