Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University (DBRAU), Agra, has made courses in artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber security compulsory for its undergraduate students, Amar Ujala reported on 5 November 2026. Students in the second semester must take Cyber Security, for a fee of ₹500, and those in the third semester must take AI for All, for ₹300.
The move turns two vocational courses announced earlier this year into a requirement for BA, BSc and other undergraduate students. It builds on the university’s long push for skill-based learning, which began with its approval of 135 new vocational courses under NEP.
What Agra University students must study
The university first presented the two courses to principals of its affiliated colleges in July 2026, at a meeting chaired by Vice Chancellor Prof Ashu Rani. The plan set out then is now being enforced:
- Cyber Security (second semester, ₹500): cyber threats, network and data security, basics of ethical hacking, cyber crime, cyber law, digital privacy and safe online behaviour
- AI for All (third semester, ₹300): the basic ideas of AI and how it is used in education, health, banking, industry, farming and administration
The university has said both courses are meant to make graduates job-ready in IT, banking, government and private sector roles, and to support students who want to start their own ventures.
How IIT Kanpur’s C3iHub is involved
The cyber security course was built with C3iHub, the cyber security technology hub at IIT Kanpur, under an agreement signed in August 2026 with DBRAU and the Vivekanand Incubation Foundation. The programme is taught online and in Hindi, so that students in semi-urban and rural colleges are not held back by English-only material. It is planned for more than 570 affiliated colleges and over 3 lakh students, and includes quizzes, workshops and virtual labs. The agreement also provides for a Cybersecurity Counselling Cell at the university to help students facing cyber crime.
IIT Kanpur has been active in cyber security education, including the Bachelor of Cybersecurity programme it launched with IIT Madras.
Why it matters for higher education in Uttar Pradesh
Making AI and cyber security part of every undergraduate degree, not only engineering, matches a wider trend. Odisha has added an AI for All course to its apprenticeship degree programme, and Uttar Pradesh itself is funding AI and data science training through the ₹1,725 crore Sardar Patel skill scheme. For a university with one of the largest networks of affiliated colleges in the state, the change could bring basic digital safety and AI skills to lakhs of students at a low cost.
Key takeaways
- DBRAU Agra has made Cyber Security and AI for All mandatory for undergraduate students
- Cyber Security is in the second semester (₹500) and AI for All in the third (₹300)
- The cyber security course, built with IIT Kanpur’s C3iHub, is taught online in Hindi
FAQ
Which Agra University students must take the AI and cyber security courses?
Undergraduate students of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra, must take Cyber Security in the second semester and AI for All in the third semester.
What is the fee for the courses?
According to Amar Ujala, the AI for All course costs ₹300 and the Cyber Security course costs ₹500.
Is the cyber security course offered in Hindi?
Yes. The course, designed with C3iHub at IIT Kanpur, is delivered online and in Hindi.
Featured image: Main gate of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra. Photo: Mohammad Aqib Khan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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