A Reserve Office Training Corps (ROTC) is a college program that exists in many countries. The purpose of the ROTC is to train students to become officers in the military force of their country, should they elect to serve after college. There are specifically military colleges, which offer ROTC programs, and also private and public schools, which can allow a student to participate in ROTC. Generally military schools have almost exclusively ROTC programs, where participation in public schools is voluntary.

There are numerous countries that have ROTC programs. These include programs in Taiwan, the Philippines, and South Korea. The US ROTC began in 1819 at Norwich University in Vermont, which offered a military program. Officially, however, the US ROTC began in 1916 and is modeled after the British system for training officers.

The colleges offering ROTC programs in the US are of three types: civilian colleges, military colleges and junior colleges. Students complete not only studies but also receive military training. Focus is on promoting leadership, encouraging honorable conduct, and preparing students to take an officer rank should they choose to participate in the military after college.

Training during college in ROTC organizes students into groups. Depending upon which branch of the military one expects to serve in after college these groups have different names. For example, the US Army creates battalions and brigades of trainees.

Students in civilian college who participate in ROTC are generally easy to recognize, since they are dressed in uniform. They have the official designation of cadet while in school. However, students training for the navy may be called midshipmen. Upon leaving college, they can enter the military force as a lieutenant, which means greater authority, and greater pay.

Those who study at a military college almost always have a guaranteed position in the armed forces after completing college. Those who participate in ROTC programs at civilian colleges may not have this guarantee in place. However, when recruitment numbers are flagging, most who participate in an ROTC program are welcomed in the armed forces upon graduation.

Certain colleges, among them Harvard and Columbia, banned ROTC programs because of discriminatory policies in the American military. Of particular concern is that homosexuals in the armed forces must not disclose their sexual orientation. For many colleges, this provision flies against university policies on non-discrimination.

Many ROTC programs were also dropped as a result of mass protests on college campuses during the Vietnam war. Protests focused not only on the war, but also on the fact that many colleges required participation of all able in ROTC programs on campus. Continued protests made such programs voluntary, and some universities completely ended ROTC programs.

The ROTC model has produced many noteworthy officers such as General Colin Powell and General Hugh Shelton, who have both chaired the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ROTC programs have become increasingly specialized, depending upon which branch of the armed forces one wishes to serve in after college. Some of the most popular colleges are those that offer opportunities to train as a pilot.