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 $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.

“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. 

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RMC students can tour battlefields in Western Europe as well as participate in military skills competitions around the world.