FICO Educational Analytics Challenge Program Continues its Third Year, Empowering Students with Hands-On Experience Building Responsible AI Models

FICO Global analytics software leader FICO announced the continuation of its FICO® Educational Analytics Challenge for the Spring 2026 semester. Building on a successful Fall term in the program’s third year, FICO welcomes Dillard University as a new participating Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to the program. With this addition, the program has partnered with eight HBCUs since its launch – including Bowie State University, Delaware State University, Morehouse College, Alabama A&M University, Drake State Community & Technical College, North Carolina Central University, Fayetteville State University, and Dillard University – and continues to advance FICO’s mission to foster the next generation of data scientists nationwide.

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“We have witnessed the Analytics Challenge serving as a primary influence for many of our students to continue their education by applying for master programs,” said Dr. Mingxian Jin, professor in computer science at Fayetteville State University. “The program is empowering for our students who want to deepen their AI experience in preparation for their future careers. By working alongside industry experts, this partnership enables our students learn real-world AI applications, helping to build the skills and confidence needed for careers in data science.”

The semester-long program brings together students with data science, engineering, and technology backgrounds to apply data science and AI to real business problems. The current challenge focus enables student participants to deepen their understanding of how AI language models and chatbots used by financial institutions are developed and trained, including exposure to FICO’s focused language model approach. The program is led by FICO’s Chief Analytics Officer, Dr. Scott Zoldi, and the analytics team of industry data scientists. The team combines weekly lectures with hands-on mentorship throughout the semester.

“The Analytics Challenge program provides students the opportunity to learn how industry data scientists use AI—how they work with data, create models, and ultimately realize the value of AI,” said Dr. Zoldi. “We’re proud to support students at the university level and serve as mentors ahead of their careers and to provide this industry real world experience. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in the workforce, understanding how to create impact responsibly and ethically will be a much desired technical skill.”

The program allows students with data science, computer science, engineering, and technology backgrounds to improve their AI skills. In addition to academic instruction, the program provides financial support to enhance analytics education at each participating university and offers career resources to help students. FICO career resources include analytics internship opportunities, as well as best general practices for resumes and interviews. FICO is a proud participant in the HBCU Partnership Challenge, an initiative of the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus, led by Congresswoman Alma Adams and Congressman French Hill.

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