Virginia Military Institute

The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state military college in the United States.^[2] In keeping with its founding principles, and unlike any other state military college in the country, all students at VMI are military cadets pursuing undergraduate degrees. VMI offers cadets a spartan, physically demanding environment combined with strict military discipline. While VMI has been called the "West Point of the South",^[3] it differs from the federal service academies. For example, VMI cadets have the flexibility of accepting a commission in any of the five military service branches, or pursuing civilian endeavors upon graduation. VMI cadets pursue bachelor's degrees in 14 disciplines in the fields of engineering, science, and the liberal arts....