Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech's NROTC unit is the second-largest in the United States, with approximately 297 midshipmen — and it operates within the Corps of Cadets, meaning every Naval ROTC midshipman at Virginia Tech is simultaneously part of the oldest and most prominent cadet corps at any civilian university. The combination produces an unusually military-saturated experience: midshipmen are surrounded by Army, Air Force, and Marine cadets around the clock, in uniform, living in a regimented corps environment. Summer training results at Virginia Tech are exceptional: in one recent class, 37 midshipmen embarked on submarines, 14 went to surface ships (including nuclear aircraft carriers), and one participated in a foreign exchange cruise — a training breadth that reflects the unit's size and staff capacity. The Blacksburg location is inland but provides outstanding mountainous terrain for field exercises. This is a program for candidates who want a near-service-academy experience without the appointment.