Do cadets actually outrank non-commissioned officers?

Cadets should not even try to outrank experienced NCOs. That would not work in the real world. The UCMJ would not allow that to happen. A cadet trying to outrank an NCO is like a Little Leaguer pitcher trying to pitch in the MLB. Hahahaha!!!

If your cadet is at your unit for training, they are probably shadowing your LT. Give them the same respect you would to your LT. If you have a solid LT he/ she won't let the cadet pull rank.

I took Military Science 101 for an easy two credits that counted toward my core requirements for graduation. The classroom portion was a series of pretty basic lectures and I actually lent a hand to my instructor when we were going over weapon's systems. The instructor was some kind of an Army Reservist Capt. I think with engineer tabs. Smart guy but as an 0311 Rifleman, current USMC reservist, my working knowledge of most US military small arms and supporting crew served weapons was light years ahead of his. I offered to take over those portions and the infantry tactics portions and he happily accepted. We got along famously and he asked if I could do the same lecture for other MS 101 classes in uniform for extra credit.

I say all that as a prelude to the physical portion. In order to pass the course, students had to attend three PT sessions with the ROTC cadre. PT was at 0630 and I went to my first session but the senior cadets were really acting like mini-drill instructors running around yelling at the junior cadets. It was amusing in a pathetic sense and I just did my own thing moving from PT station to PT station in a mix of cadets and students. The cadets wore color coded "ARMY" shirts, MS students just wore whatever. I wore my USMC silkies and a USMC T-shirt for fun. At one point a senior Cadet decided to get in my face and started a bit of hazing. I began laughing out loud and asked WTF did he think he was doing? I think I said something along the lines of, "Fucking POG cadet, I've got more time on the shitter than you have in the military." I walked away and out of the PT session leaving the cadet to try and figure out what happened.

Later, the Capt approached me at the next classroom time and asked if I saw the incident. Apparently, the cadets were incredulous and wanted to know who the disrespectful student was. I said, "Yes sir, I know exactly who it was, it was me!" LOL. I relayed what happened and he said, "Oh, yeah, they aren't supposed to haze other cadets like that, especially Military Science students. You don't have to do any more of those PT sessions. Sorry about that."

I got an A for the class.

There's the reg, there's common sense, and there's egos.
The cadets are ostensibly sent to regular units to learn, not stroke their ego. And take into account that they wear rank on their uniform that's unrecognizable to a lot of soldiers.

no, they are students just like ROTC the wear enlisted stripes

As a Citadel alumnus, I can tell you this: Cadets don't outrank shit.

A very wise CSM in the deuce (82d Abn) once said to his NCOs "Not every soldier has an officer, but EVERY soldier has a sergeant". Let's face it, the care and feeding of young officers-to-be is NCO business. Many moons ago as an E-5 I was running an 81mm Mortar pit at summer camp familiarizing cadets with the mortar.
Short story... Many years later as an E-7 I was approached by a Major while walking down Ardennes. After salutes were exchanged he asked me if I had been running the Mortar pit back in the summer of '83. When I answered in the affirmative he mentioned that he'd been a cadet then, and the professionalism that my gun crew and I exhibited had inspired him to branch infantry.
Remember... you're training the next generation and act accordingly, you never know how you might influence them.

I will share with any cadet or new lieutenant what my father, a decorated WWII combat veteran, told me when I became a cadet officer. He said you may outrank an NCO, but you do not even have a tiny fraction of the experience they have. Your job is to do everything you can to enable that NCO to do the best job possible, get out of the way, and let them do it. Keep your mouth shut and learn. I always followed that advice, and my NCOs always had my back as I did theirs. I am now a manufacturing management consultant and share the same advice with the college graduates I work with.

I was a SSGT at Dover AFB in the early 1980’s. Every summer the base hosted ROTC cadets for training. No one ever explained to us where the cadets fell into the chain. Just to stay out of their way while they marched in formation around the base. Now the rest of the story. One summer while attending NCO leadership school a group of us went to the BX during lunch. One of our instructors went with us, which was something the instructors didn’t usually do while class was in session. When we got to the BX there was a small group of cadets milling around outside seemingly deciding where to go. We walked by them with our instructor bringing up the rear. Suddenly one of the cadets yelled at us to stop and began berating us for not saluting them as we passed. Our instructor took over and took the cadets and us aside away from the shopping public. Evidently the instructor had gotten wind that a group of cadets were hanging out at the BX and waiting for unsuspecting enlisted personnel to walk by and not salute. He told them their egos needed adjusting and proceeded to let them know how that was going to be accomplished. First he got their names then the names of their cadet commander and senior military instructor. Told them he expected them to go back to their leadership and explain what they had been doing and he requested to hear back from their leadership. Evidently they didn’t take him seriously. The instructor went to BX the next day and the same cadets were at the BX doing exactly as they were the day before. He went directly to the base commander and reported what had transpired the previous day. That evening the cadet squadron was formed up in front of their dorms, heals locked. The base commander and wing commander were there to observe as well as the wing senior enlisted advisor(E-9)and our instructor. The ROTC senior military instructor, an O-5 addressed the cadets that they hadn’t earned the authority yet to demand salutes from active duty enlisted personnel and that setting ambushes to get saluted was not an example of the leadership he expected from his cadets. After an apology to the wing and base commanders the formation was dismissed except for the BX cadets. They given the humble experience of explaining themselves to their leadership and the hosting base leadership. They were later observed policing various parking lots around the base with trash bags in hand after their classes were concluded for the day for two weeks.

I see this post was initially made back in 2017. In my humble opinion, no cadet out-ranks anyone on Active Duty. They haven't qualified to be a Veteran. They haven't earned or qualified for a DD-214. They are simply a student at some school in a military organization. Their rank only holds authority over other cadets. I was an Air Force ROTC cadet at Oregon State Univ. from '88-'90. My ROTC time doesn't show up on my DD-214, nor did that two years count towards my retirement benefits.