No AI, No Degree? How Stanford, Purdue, and Dartmouth are Redefining "Learning"

While many universities are still debating whether to restrict the use of AI tools, Purdue University—a long-standing powerhouse in engineering—has moved straight to the next phase: students who cannot master AI may find themselves unable to graduate.

Recently, Purdue unveiled a comprehensive AI strategy covering five functional pillars:

• Learning about AI: Studying the technology itself.

• Learning with AI: Using AI as a tool for learning.

• Research AI: Leveraging AI to drive scientific discovery.

• Using AI: Implementing AI within campus operations.

• Partnering in AI: Deepening collaborations with tech giants.

  
  

Regarding "Learning about AI," the Board of Trustees officially passed a new regulation: Starting with the incoming freshman class of Fall 2026, all undergraduate students must demonstrate foundational AI application skills to qualify for graduation.

Purdue President Mung Chiang pointed out that the impact of AI across all sectors of society is so vast and rapid that universities must take the initiative, permeating AI competency into every aspect of teaching.

This AI requirement will be integrated into the existing curriculum of every undergraduate major. The university has authorized the Provost and Deans to establish discipline-specific competency standards. Students will not be required to take additional credits; instead, they will prove their AI proficiency through projects that align with their major’s objectives. The core goal is not to increase the academic burden but to organically "weave" AI literacy into existing course structures and credit requirements.

Purdue is not an isolated case. A quiet but profound educational revolution is spreading across top U.S. institutions, transforming AI education from an exclusive domain of Computer Science departments into a university-wide general literacy requirement.

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth recently announced that starting in Fall 2025, it will deploy Claude (by Anthropic) to over 7,000 students, faculty, and staff to systematically enhance campus-wide AI literacy.

Dartmouth aims to integrate AI into its academic foundation rather than treating it as a mere add-on to elective courses. The administration emphasizes "responsible use," focusing on privacy protection, clear usage guidelines, and academic scenarios to ensure students understand the boundaries of AI utility.

The Ohio State University (OSU)

Earlier this year, OSU launched the "AI Fluency Initiative," with the goal of enabling over 50,000 undergraduates to flexibly apply AI tools within their respective fields over the next two to three years. This plan embeds AI education deep into all undergraduate curricula, beginning with the freshman class of Fall 2025.

The President stated clearly: "AI will become the 'second language' of the future workplace. Those who do not understand AI will be at a disadvantage, much like those who do not understand how to operate a computer today."

According to the roadmap, starting with the Class of 2029, all OSU undergraduates must meet set "AI Fluency" standards upon graduation. This marks the transition of AI skills from a professional competitive advantage to a fundamental requirement for all graduates.

Stanford University

While Stanford has not issued a university-wide mandate, a course in its Computer Science department titled "The Modern Software Developer" has garnered widespread attention. The course has a unique rule: Students are prohibited from writing code by hand.

The professor requires students to use AI programming tools like Cursor and Claude to complete all assignments. Submissions must include not only the final code but also the full chat history with the AI assistant, demonstrating how the student guided the AI to complete the task.

This Stanford experiment reveals a deeper shift: the core competency of future programmers may no longer be writing code, but the ability to "train and prompt AI to do coding."

When AI Moves from "Elective" to "Mandatory"

Professor Michelle of Northwestern University once predicted that AI would take its next leap within the next five to ten years, and education must evolve alongside it. This profound change led by top U.S. universities goes far beyond offering a few new classes; it is redefining what universities should teach and what kind of students will dominate the future workplace.

For students currently studying in the U.S. or planning to go, learning to use AI effectively is no longer an option—it is a mandatory course for the future.

The shift from "discussing controversy" to "full-scale embrace" by universities like Purdue, Dartmouth, Stanford, and OSU outlines a clear consensus: AI should not be viewed as an external threat to be guarded against, but as a core competency to be internalized and deeply integrated into the pedagogical system.

In an era where AI is reshaping every industry, the ability to understand, utilize, and master AI has joined the ranks of professional knowledge, critical thinking, and communication as a fundamental pillar of modern higher education.

From a long-term perspective, this popularization of AI literacy is a key link in the overall intelligent transformation of society. As more graduates become proficient in human-AI collaboration, they will not just be users of technology—they will likely be the ones defining and leading the future AI era.