The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are military cadets pursuing bachelor degrees. VMI offers cadets a spartan, physically demanding environment combined with strict military discipline. VMI offers degrees in fourteen different disciplines in Engineering, the Sciences and the Liberal Arts. Although VMI has been called the "West Point of the South," it differs from the federal service academies in several respects. For example, while all VMI cadets must participate in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), they are not required to serve in the military upon graduation. Instead, VMI graduates may either accept a commission in any of the US military branches or pursue civilian endeavors upon graduation. On November 11, 1839 the Virginia Military Institute was founded on the site of the Lexington state arsenal and the first Cadets relieved personnel on duty.