Life at Virginia Military Institute:

The military system characterizes and distinguishes life at VMI.

It fosters punctuality, order, discipline, courtesy, and respect for authority. By placing all cadets on a uniform plane, it enables them to advance through self-reliance, initiative, and strength of character.

Cadets live within a military framework; they wear the cadet uniform, live in barracks, and eat their meals in a mess hall. The typical day is strictly regimented and requires close attention to detail to manage the available time to ensure necessary academic, military, and physical training requirements are properly completed.

Specific military training is provided both from within the cadet regiment, commanded and administered largely by cadets, and by the various armed services through the Reserve Officer Training Corps detachments located at VMI.

Virginia Military Institute's philosophy is that the measure of a college lies in the quality and performance of its graduates and their contributions to society.

Therefore, it is the mission of the Virginia Military Institute to produce educated, honorable men and women, prepared for the varied work of civil life, imbued with love of learning, confident in the functions and attitudes of leadership, possessing a high sense of public service, advocates of the American democracy and free enterprise system, and ready as citizen-soldiers to defend their country in time of national peril.