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Initially, such schools admitted only sons of the nobility or gentry, but in time many of the schools were opened also to members of other social classes. Since the 19th century, "corps of cadets" has referred to the student body of cadets at a military academy.
The original Cadets de Gascogne corps was established in France by King Louis XIII for younger sons of Gascongentry (in the Gascon language, capdets—"little chiefs"). This idea of a school for boys who would later become gentlemen volunteers in the army to offset their lack of patrimony, soon spread, with similar schools being established in other European countries.
Students at these schools do not pay tuition, but must fulfill a mandatory service requirements after graduation.
Cadets marching at Virginia Military Institute (VMI)
Senior Military Colleges
Six colleges that offer military Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs under 10 U.S.C. § 2111a(f), though many other schools offer military Reserve Officers' Training Corps under other sections of the law.
In addition, these five institutions that were military colleges at the time of their founding now maintain both a corps of cadets and a civilian student body. Many of these institutions also offer online degree programs:
Maritime Institutes
Maritime Institutes operate on a military college system. Cadets may apply for Naval Reserve commissions upon obtaining their Merchant Marine Officer's licenses and offer some form of military commissioning program into the active duty US Navy, US Marine Corps, or US Coast Guard.
↑Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin; Bou, Jean, eds. (2009). "Corps". The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (2nded.). Oxford University Press. ISBN9780191735127.
