SINGAPORE, Aug 11 — The National University of Singapore (NUS) will require all undergraduates to complete compulsory artificial intelligence (AI) courses from August 2026, as part of a sweeping new strategy to embed AI literacy across every discipline.
According to the Straits Times, the move, announced on Aug 11, includes a new university-wide module, Applied Generative AI: From Prompting to Evaluation, and additional AI-related courses integrated into the common curricula of major colleges such as the College of Humanities and Sciences, College of Design and Engineering, Business School and Healthcare Professional Education. These schools account for more than 85 per cent of NUS’ undergraduate population.
Every major will also introduce at least one compulsory course examining how AI is reshaping the profession — from Artificial Intelligence and Public Policy for political science students to Decision Analytics using Spreadsheets and AI for business undergraduates.
NUS deputy president (academic affairs) and provost Aaron Thean said the university’s goal is to ensure all students graduate “AI fluent”, while a smaller group will go on to specialise deeply in the field. “The core business of a university is really to develop the human, not to develop the AI,” he said.
From Aug 31, all NUS students, faculty and staff will receive free access to ChatGPT Edu, a university-controlled version of ChatGPT with higher message limits and enhanced privacy. More advanced tools will be piloted in courses requiring deeper AI use, such as computing.
The university is also developing seven in-house AI teaching tools, including a scenario generator for AI-powered simulations and a Socratic-style coaching system that prompts students with questions to strengthen reasoning. Other tools will help instructors identify learning gaps, track participation and challenge students to evaluate AI-generated answers.
AI is already being used in NUS’ nursing programme, where students undergo layered simulation training before entering real clinical settings. Fourth-year nursing student Nicholas Lau said AI-powered simulations — which mimic real-time patient deterioration and require students to justify their decisions — have helped him stay calm and think critically under pressure.
NUS’ announcement follows similar moves by Nanyang Technological University (NTU), which in April mandated AI literacy lessons for all students and will provide access to premium Google AI tools.
With about 29,600 undergraduates across 15 colleges, faculties and schools, NUS’ new strategy marks one of the most extensive AI education overhauls in Singapore’s higher education landscape.
