Virginia Military Institute is a public institution that was founded in
1839.
It
has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,675,
its setting is urban,
and the campus size is 200 acres.
It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar.
Virginia Military Institute's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges
is National Liberal Arts Colleges,
64.
Its in-state tuition and fees are $15,518 (2014-15); out-of-state
tuition and fees are $37,574 (2014-15).
Located in Lexington, Virginia, the Virginia Military Institute is the
oldest state-supported military college in the United States. Students
admitted to the college are known as military cadets and are required to
participate in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Unlike the
federal service academies, Virginia Military Institute cadets are not
required to serve in the military upon graduation. Cadets have about 80
academic, professional and social clubs and organizations to choose from
upon entering the college.
Freshmen admitted to VMI are immediately exposed to the Rat Line, which
is a system designed to create equality among all cadets and prepare
them mentally and physically for their career in the Corps. This is done
through a series of team-building exercises and stringent regulations.
The housing situation is very different from most universities'
campuses. In the Barracks, cadets live modestly, with limited space and
multiple other occupants, and are expected to maintain cleanliness and
order at all times. The Virginia Military Institute Keydets participate
in 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs and are members of the Southern
Conference and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Students who have been accepted to the Virginia Military Institute have
the opportunity to take part in the Summer Transition Program, which
helps incoming cadets improve both academically and physically. This
program takes place during the last four weeks of the college's second
summer term. VMI follows an honor code and strictly enforces its
practices upon its cadets. When cadets first arrive on campus, they are
issued their first cadet haircut at the VMI barbershop. Notable alumni
include George Marshall, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and former U.S.
secretary of state; Benjamin Franklin Ficklin, one of the founders of
the historic Pony Express; and actor and comedian Fred Willard.
VMI is a challenging curricular and co-curricular
undergraduate experience, producing educated and honorable men and women
who will be leaders in all walks of life. Its 1,675 cadets pursue BA
and BS degrees in 14 disciplines in the fields of engineering, science,
and liberal arts. VMI combines a full college curriculum within a
regimen of military discipline that emphasizes the qualities of honor,
integrity, and responsibility. The undergirding in all aspects of cadet
life is the VMI Honor Code, to which all cadets subscribe.
