virginia military institute (vmi) is a public military college in lexington, virginia. it was founded in 1839 and is the first public senior military college in the united states. in keeping with its founding principles and unlike any other senior military college in the united states, vmi enrolls cadets (uniformed members of the corps of cadets) only and awards baccalaureate degrees exclusively. vmi offers its students, all of whom are cadets, strict military discipline combined with a physically and academically demanding environment. the institute grants degrees in 14 disciplines in engineering, science, and the liberal arts, and all vmi students are required to participate in rotc.