What is a .edu domain and who can register one?
Published on November 11, 2026 9 min read
A .edu domain is only for accredited US colleges and universities. Who qualifies, what it costs, the naming rules and what to use outside the US.
A .edu domain is the domain extension for higher education in the United States. Only US colleges, universities and other postsecondary institutions with institutional accreditation from an agency recognised by the US Department of Education can register one, and they do so directly with EDUCAUSE, the only registrar for .edu. Schools and training providers elsewhere use their own country's extension, or .eu or .org, which you can register at LJPc hosting.
This article explains who qualifies for a .edu domain, the naming rules, what it costs, how management, DNS and WHOIS work, and which domain to choose for a school outside the United States.
What is a .edu domain?
.edu is one of the seven original top-level domains of the internet, alongside .com, .org and .net, among others. It is intended for accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States. The US Department of Commerce has final authority over .edu, and EDUCAUSE runs the domain on its behalf under the .edu Cooperative Agreement. VeriSign operates the technical registry.
That makes .edu different from most domain extensions. ICANN's rules, which apply to extensions such as .com and .org, do not apply to .edu, and there is only one registrar: EDUCAUSE itself. You always apply for a .edu domain with EDUCAUSE. Policy changes are proposed by the .edu Policy Board, made up of the American Council on Education (ACE), the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) and EDUCAUSE, and approved by the Department of Commerce.
Who can register a .edu domain?
Under the EDUCAUSE eligibility requirements, three kinds of organisation can register a .edu domain:
- US postsecondary institutions. The institution is located in the United States or a US territory, is licensed, chartered or incorporated there, or is officially recognised as a US postsecondary institution by a US state or federal agency. It must also hold full institutional accreditation from an agency on the US Department of Education's list of recognised accreditors.
- System and district offices. For example a university system office or community college district office in the United States that governs a group of accredited institutions and was established or recognised by a government to do so. Corporate headquarters do not qualify.
- Non-profit associations and consortia. Their members are mainly educational institutions, and at least 75 percent of their institutional members must be eligible for a .edu domain themselves. Associations whose members are mainly individuals do not qualify.
The institution does not need to be an EDUCAUSE member. Accreditation must be in place when you apply and every time you renew. It has to cover the institution as a whole: programme or branch campus accreditation is not enough, and neither is preliminary or provisional accreditation.
| Who | Can register a .edu domain? |
|---|---|
| US college or university with institutional accreditation | Yes |
| School, programme or branch campus without its own institutional accreditation | No, only an institution with its own institutional accreditation |
| US institution waiting for accreditation | As soon as accreditation is final |
| K-12 school | No, postsecondary institutions only |
| School, college or university outside the United States | No, not even with accreditation in its own country |
| Student, teacher or company | No, only the institutions and organisations listed above |
Grandfathered .edu domains outside the United States
The current eligibility rules apply from 29 October 2001, when the Cooperative Agreement took effect. Organisations that already had a .edu domain then may keep it, even if they do not meet today's requirements. These are known as grandfathered registrations, which is why some institutions outside the United States, including in the Netherlands, still have a .edu domain. The holder has to keep renewing the domain and follow the domain policy. If it loses the domain, it can only reapply as a new applicant that meets the current requirements. EDUCAUSE therefore warns: do not assume your institution qualifies because a similar institution has a .edu domain.
What are the rules for a .edu name?
- The name represents the institution. A .edu name must reasonably represent the name of the registrant institution or organisation. Generic names are not allowed.
- Only for your own institution. You use the domain only for the organisation that registered it.
- Up to two names. Since June 2021 an eligible institution can register up to two .edu domains. A holder with grandfathered registrations from before 29 October 2001 may keep renewing all of them, even if that is more than two.
- Not transferable. The registrant does not own the name. Selling, trading, leasing, assigning or transferring it to another organisation in any other way is not allowed.
- Free to use. EDUCAUSE places no restrictions on content and allows commercial use. Federal, state or local laws may still set limits.
If a registrant breaks these rules, EDUCAUSE notifies it in writing. If the violation is not corrected within 45 days, EDUCAUSE removes the registration and the name becomes available again.
You can switch your institution to a different .edu name, as long as the new name meets these rules. The old name can stay active for up to six months, giving you time to move your website and email, and EDUCAUSE adds another six months on request.
How an institution applies for a .edu domain
- Check that the institution meets the requirements, in particular that it holds institutional accreditation and that its accreditor is on the US Department of Education's list.
- Use the lookup tool on the EDUCAUSE website to check whether the name is available.
- Apply through Request a New Domain on the EDUCAUSE website. If the institution already has a .edu domain, it applies for a second one from its existing account.
- Pay the registration fee and accept the EDUCAUSE Customer Service Agreement.
- Once EDUCAUSE has verified the application, the domain becomes active in the registry and appears in the WHOIS.
How much does a .edu domain cost and how do you renew it?
EDUCAUSE charges 77 US dollars per domain per year. You register and renew for one year at a time and accept the Customer Service Agreement again every year. The billing contact receives an invoice with renewal instructions by email 60 days before the domain expires. You pay by credit card: Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover. The renewal date is based on the original registration date and stays the same.
If you release a domain before the end of a paid period, the fee stays with EDUCAUSE. If you switch to a different name during that period, the fee you paid covers the new name.
If a domain is not paid and is deleted, it stays in redemption status for 45 days. After that, any eligible institution can register it on a first-come, first-served basis. The previous holder only gets it back by reapplying as a new applicant that meets the current requirements. For .nl, .be and .eu the quarantine lasts 40 days and only the previous holder can reclaim the name during that time, as explained in expired domains and quarantine.
Transferring a .edu domain or changing the registrant
With .nl or .com you move a domain to another registrar with a transfer code, as described in get your transfer code and transfer your domain. With .edu, EDUCAUSE is the only registrar, so the domain always stays with EDUCAUSE. Where your website, email and DNS run is up to you.
A .edu domain also never moves to another organisation. If the institution itself changes its name or address, you request the change through a support ticket in your EDUCAUSE account. EDUCAUSE reviews the change and asks for documentation, such as proof that the institution's name has officially changed. How a change of registrant works for other extensions is explained in change the owner of a domain.
Securing your EDUCAUSE account
Whoever controls the account controls the domain. EDUCAUSE offers two-factor authentication with an authenticator app, extra users with their own roles, and an IP Account Lock that limits access to up to three static IP addresses. Only switch on the lock when you know exactly which addresses your institution uses, so you never lock yourself out.
Website and email on a .edu domain
EDUCAUSE registers the name only and does not host DNS. The institution chooses its own DNS provider and enters that provider's name servers in its EDUCAUSE account: go to View All Domains, select the domain and choose Edit Nameservers. The registry may take some time to process the change; until then, the old name servers stay in charge. After that, the new information spreads across the internet, as explained in what is DNS propagation.
The .edu zone has been signed with DNSSEC since 2 August 2010, and you can sign your own .edu domain as well. Your DNS provider creates the key; you enter its details in your EDUCAUSE account under Configure DS Records. DNSSEC does not add to the cost of a .edu domain. What DNSSEC does is explained in what is DNSSEC.
What does the WHOIS show for a .edu domain?
EDUCAUSE runs its own .edu WHOIS. For every .edu domain it shows the institution's name and address, the administrative and technical contacts with address, phone number and email address, the name servers, the date the domain was first registered, the last update and the expiry date. The billing contact is not shown. How to find out who manages any domain is explained in who manages my domain.
A domain for a school outside the United States
For a school, college or training provider outside the United States, choose a different extension. Which one fits depends on where your students come from:
| Your situation | Our advice |
|---|---|
| Your school is in the Netherlands | A .nl domain, open to anyone |
| You focus on Belgium | A .be domain |
| Your students come from all over Europe | A .eu domain, for holders in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway |
| You are a foundation or association with an international audience | A .org domain, open to anyone |
| Your school is in another country | The country code extension of that country |
You can register .nl, .be, .eu and .org domains at LJPc hosting in the customer portal, together with your website and email. How that works is explained in register a domain and link it to your hosting, and you will find the price per extension on our domain names page. If your school's domain is currently with another provider, you can move it to us as described in transfer your domain to LJPc. If the name you want is taken, domain backorders explains how to get it as soon as it becomes available.
Not sure which extension suits your school or course? Create a support ticket and we will help you choose.
Frequently asked questions
Can a school or university outside the United States register a .edu domain?
No. Since 29 October 2001, .edu has been limited to US postsecondary institutions with institutional accreditation from an agency recognised by the US Department of Education. A school outside the United States uses its own country code extension, or .eu or .org.
Why do some institutions outside the US have a .edu domain?
Organisations that already had a .edu domain on 29 October 2001, when the current rules took effect, may keep it as long as they keep renewing it and follow the domain policy. These are known as grandfathered registrations. If such an institution loses its domain, it can only reapply if it meets the current requirements.
Can I get a .edu email address as a student or teacher?
A .edu email address comes from the institution that holds the .edu domain, for example as a student or employee of a US college. The institution decides who gets an address on its domain. EDUCAUSE only registers .edu domains for institutions and organisations, not for individuals.
How much does a .edu domain cost?
EDUCAUSE charges 77 US dollars per domain per year. You register and renew for one year at a time and accept the EDUCAUSE Customer Service Agreement every year. The billing contact receives the invoice 60 days before the domain expires.
Can I buy or take over a .edu domain?
No. A .edu domain may not be sold, leased or transferred to another organisation in any other way. When a name is deleted, it stays in redemption status for 45 days. After that, any eligible institution can register it on a first-come, first-served basis.
Can I register a .edu domain through a web host or registrar?
No, EDUCAUSE is the only registrar for .edu. An institution applies for the domain directly with EDUCAUSE and then chooses where its website, email and DNS are hosted.