Royal Military College of Canada
RMC trains officer cadets for all branches of the military. The campus is set on a 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 $30,000, which, after covering room and board and some other costs, still leaves about $1,200 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. “
RMC offers students a first-class university education thanks to a wide variety of highly relevant programs, passionate professors and small class sizes,” says Brigadier-General Pascal Godbout. We ensure that our naval and officer cadets adopt an active lifestyle through sports, fitness, and wellness programs, achieve a functional level of bilingualism, and acquire leadership skills.” First-year cadets normally begin their basic military occupational qualification training—which includes drills, first aid and field training—in the summer before school starts, followed in September by an orientation program that culminates in a challenging two-hour-long, team-based obstacle course.
Campus buzz: Colonel Jeremy Hansen and Colonel Joshua Kutryk are the most recent RMC graduates chosen to head to the International Space Station.
Quick facts
Tuition (includes compulsory ancillary fees)
Tuition for students enrolled in ROTP is paid by the Department of National Defence
For non ROTP students: $7,595
Minimum Entering Grades
Arts, Science, Commerce, Engineering: 75% (acceptance criteria are also based on suitability to become an officer)
Student Body
Undergraduates: Full-time: 1,284 | Part-time: 823
Graduates: Full-time: 247 | Part-time: 308
International Students: Graduate: 15.4%
Housing Facts
Residence Spaces: Residence space provided for all ROTP students
Standout programs
Aeronautical Engineering: In final year, the entire class works together on a year-long project to design a complete aircraft, including all major subsystems.
Space Science: This physics program covers surveillance of space, remote sensing and space mission design; four of Canada’s 13 astronauts are RMC grads.
Social Sciences and Humanities: Choose from a wide range of arts degrees—like military and strategic studies; business administration; political science; and military psychology and leadership—to bolster a thriving career.
