Aspirant

Aspirant is a military rank in the Canadian Navy, Estonian Defence Forces, French military, Brazilian military, Italian Air Force, Romanian Navy and Polish Policja.

Canadian Navy
Similar to the French usage, the Canadian Navy uses the French-language rank of "Aspirant de marine" (AspM) to denote a junior officer under training. The same rank in the English language is referred to as "Naval Cadet" (NCdt). An aspirant de marine does not hold the Queen's commission and must either acquire a university degree or complete his first trades qualification to earn promotion.

Estonian Defence Forces
Junior Sergeant conscriptees having passed the Reserve Platoon Commander Course get ranked Aspirants meaning they will be given officer ranks(Ensign or Junior Liutenant) in case of mobilisation and war. Some Aspirants also get promoted during reserve war games.

French Army
An Officer Designate rank, it is used in the Armée de Terre (Army), the Armée de l'Air (Air Force), the Marine Nationale (Navy) and the Gendarmerie Nationale. Technically it is not a commissioned rank but it is still treated in all respects as one. Aspirants are either officers in training in military academies or voluntaries, serving as temporary officers. The aspirant must have been previously élève officier (Officer Cadet). He can afterwards be commissioned as a sous-lieutenant or enseigne de vaisseau de deuxième classe. His insignia is a single curl of gold lace, disrupted by "flashes" of wool. It was widely used during both World Wars for providing young educated people with an officer's authority.

Portuguese Armed Forces
Aspirante-a-oficial is the first rank in the officer corps, coming below Alferes in the army and air force and Guarda-Marinha (Naval School graduates) or Sub-tenente (temporary officers graduated from civilian universities) in the navy.

Romanian Navy
In the Romanian Navy, Aspirant is the lowest commissioned rank, equivalent to the rank of Ensign.

Norway
In Norway, the "Aspirant Course" is a three-year trainee programme for students intending to work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, i.e. prospective diplomats.

Other uses
An aspirant is also a title for doctoral education candidates in the post-Soviet states. This educational step leads to a scientific degree called kandidat nauk.

The term is also used in reference to religious vocations as one who is discerning the religious life.