Royal Military College of Canada

Founded 1876 | Kingston, ON

RMC trains officer cadets for all branches of the military. In the summer before school starts, first-year cadets normally begin their basic military occupational qualification training—which includes drills, first aid and field training—followed in September by an orientation program that culminates in a challenging two-hour-long, team-based obstacle course. The campus is set on a 41-hectare peninsula on the shores of Lake Ontario, just east of downtown Kingston, and features limestone buildings and a giant parade square dating back to 1876. Students are required to complete a core curriculum of courses in the arts and sciences with applications in defence.

As members of the Canadian Armed Forces, officer cadets also take part in as many as 11 weeks of military training in the summers at locations across Canada; some participate in military exercises, including weapons training and leadership training. Tuition and books are covered by the government, and officer cadets are paid an annual salary of approximately $28,000, which, after covering room and board and some other costs, still leaves about $1,000 in spending money each month. But the funding isn’t for nothing. After graduation, officer cadets must serve up to five years as commissioned officers in the Canadian Armed Forces, and pilots have a longer period of service.

Says Commodore Josée Kurtz, RMC’s commandant, “In addition to having access to first-class academic programmes, our naval and officer cadets develop their fitness, bilingualism and leadership skills. Having benefited from the guidance and mentorship of experts and experienced leaders, they are ready to tackle a dynamic career as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces.”

Standout Programs

• Computer Engineering: The program has a strong cybersecurity focus culminating in a week-long exercise in which students defend a network against attackers.

• Space Science: This physics program covers surveillance of space, remote sensing and space mission design; four of Canada’s 13 astronauts are RMC alum.

• Military and Strategic Studies: Students explore past and present human conflicts and their cultural, political, military, psychological and historical dimensions.

Tuition (includes compulsory ancillary fees)

Tuition for students enrolled in ROTP is paid by the Department of National Defence.

Minimum Entering Grades

Arts, Science, Commerce, Engineering: 75% (acceptance criteria are also based on suitability to become an officer)

Student Body

Undergraduates: Full-time: 1,357 | Part-time: 543

Graduates: Full-time: 293 | Part-time: 311

International Students: First-year: 0.5% | Graduate: 17.4%

Male-Female Ratio: 78 to 22

Housing Facts

Residence Spaces: Residence space is provided for all ROTP students.

Cool Courses

• Spacecraft Mission Analysis and Design: Students work in teams to design spacecraft for a proposed space mission.

• Military Technology: Men, Machines and War: Examine the relationships between society, technology and warfare.

Student Life on Campus

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