UCI Subdomain Guidelines
A top-level subdomain is a child of the main ‘uci.edu’ top-level domain, used to differentiate major areas of the university such as schools and outward-facing departments. Top-level UCI subdomains must meet certain criteria and require approval at the campus level.
Introduction
At UCI, top-level subdomains are the web addresses used to directly access specific websites and campus services under the main ‘uci.edu’ domain. These addresses are formatted as subdomain.uci.edu — for instance, bio.uci.edu for the Biology department, engineering.uci.edu for the Engineering School, and arts.uci.edu for the Arts department. Just like the names of publications and programs, these subdomain names play a crucial role in a department’s identity and public outreach, affecting how people perceive UCI overall.
Criteria for top-level UCI subdomain status
- An official UCI school, department, or other campus-level organizational unit.
- An officially recognized campus or University level research entity as listed on the Office of Research Centers and Institutes page.
(Note: The domain names for school centers fall within the domain of the host School and do not meet the criteria for top-level subdomain status.) - A campus-wide program or service that does not belong within an existing UCI subdomain, or is most appropriately represented as a campus-wide activity based upon endorsement of this status from multiple campus entities collaboratively sponsoring the program or service. Existing UCI subdomains within which an entity may fall include clubs.uci.edu, event.uci.edu, program.uci.edu, and web.uci.edu.
Top-level Subdomain Naming Criteria
- The name of a top-level ‘uci.edu’ subdomain must be based on that of the officially recognized entity, activity, or service and must identify that entity, activity, or service in a manner that minimizes the possibility of confusion with other campus entities, activities, or services.
- Only one top-level ‘uci.edu’ subdomain name will be assigned to any qualifying entity, activity, or service.
Assignment of top-level subdomains is administered in partnership with UCI Strategic Communications & Public Affairs and the Office of Information Technology.
The top-level subdomain approval process
The allocation of new subdomains is subject to the approval of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs, in consultation with OIT and appropriate campus officials. Once the request has been reviewed and approved, DNS (Domain Name Service) will be updated.
Request Form
If you believe you qualify for a top-level subdomain, fill out the form below. A ServiceNow ticket will be created that you can follow to check the status of the request.