.edu Policy Rules and Procedures

How can the policies governing management of the .edu domain be changed?
As specified in the .edu Cooperative Agreement between EDUCAUSE and the U.S. Department of Commerce, the .edu Policy Board reviews domain policies and recommends changes as needed to the Department of Commerce for approval. To comment on proposed changes that the Policy Board is considering or see decisions the board has already reached, please visit the .edu Policy Comment Forum.

Who serves on the .edu Policy Board?
The .edu Policy Board reflects the broad range of U.S. higher education institutions. Its members consist of the president of the American Council on Education (ACE), which represents the executive leadership of U.S. higher education institutions; the president of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), which is the professional associations for general counsels and attorneys serving U.S. higher education; and EDUCAUSE, which represents higher education information technology (IT) leaders and professionals from across U.S. higher education. The EDUCAUSE senior advisor for policy and government relations staffs the policy board and supports its deliberations.

Are there any limitations on the content or use of the .edu domain?
Eligibility for the .edu domain is content-independent. EDUCAUSE neither places nor enforces restrictions on the content or use of the .edu domain. In particular, EDUCAUSE places no limitation on commercial use of the .edu domain. Holders of .edu domain names may, however, be subject to limitations, including commercial-use limitations, by federal, state, or local laws. Consult legal counsel regarding such limitations. Holders of .edu domain names are free to establish policies that limit or otherwise manage the use and content of resources within their own domains as they see fit, subject, again, to applicable laws and regulations.

Under the terms of Amendment 6 of the Cooperative Agreement between EDUCAUSE and the U.S. Department of Commerce, a .edu domain name, other than a grandfathered one, must reasonably represent the name of the registrant, may not be deployed to identify any organization other than the registrant, and may not be a "generic name." (See the "Eligibility requirements" section of the .edu FAQs for more on "grandfathered domain names.") Amendment 6 also prohibits registrants from transferring any .edu domain name to any other entity. "Transferring" includes selling, trading, leasing, assigning, or any other means of transference.

If I am found to be violating policy for the .edu top-level domain, what will happen?
Amendment 11 of the .edu Cooperative Agreement describes the process by which EDUCAUSE will notify a registrant of a violation of the domain's "no transfer" policy as established in Amendment 6 and, if necessary, terminate the relevant registration. Section 11 of the .edu Customer Service Agreement applies this process to all domain policies.

Does it matter for enforcement purposes if a policy violation goes undiscovered for a long period of time?
Amendment 6 of the .edu Cooperative Agreement states: "Violations will be noted and dealt with regardless of how long such violations were in place prior to notification."

Eligibility Policy

The .edu Policy Board is responsible for overseeing policies that govern .edu domain name eligibility and management. The Policy Board can recommend changes in .edu policy for acceptance by the US Department of Commerce. To suggest policy changes, or to submit comments on policy changes suggested by others, please contact us. For more information on the .edu Policy Board, please see the "Policy rules and procedures" section of the .edu FAQs.