Before you apply for a domain name
Domain names within the cam.ac.uk domain are governed by the University domain name policy. This policy, approved by the Information Services Committee, is implemented by a panel in UIS, which includes Relationship Managers. It is important to get the choice of name right as it can be quite hard and time-consuming to change it later.
Top-level domains
A top-level name means domains directly under cam.ac.uk. For example, english.cam.ac.uk. You should contact your Relationship Manager for guidance before applying for a new top-level name.
Top-level names will normally only be allocated to:
- institutions of the University (faculties, Departments and Colleges). You will need to provide proof of the existence of a new institution, a formal announcement in the University Reporter is the best way to do this.
- University-wide services or initiatives (for example, the student information system, camsis.cam.ac.uk)
- strategic research initiatives and strategic research networks. The Research Policy Committee provides approval for top-level domain names for some cross-School initiatives under the Strategic Research Initiatives scheme. If you have a non-qualifying cross-disciplinary initiative and need a new domain, we encourage you to use one of the second-level umbrella domains described below.
If none of these apply, you will need authority from the Vice-Chancellor, a Pro-Vice-Chancellor, or the Registrary for a top-level domain.
Subdomains within institutions
If you’re requesting a domain for activity that relates to a single established top-level domain, a subdomain should be used. For example, the Institute for Manufacturing is ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk as it is part of the Engineering Department.
Authority for the creation of new names within an institutional domain is usually delegated to the institution and does not need to go via this UIS process. You should contact your local IT team in the first instance.
Second-level umbrella domains of cam.ac.uk
For those cases ineligible for a top-level domain but which do not fall within the remit of a single institution, a sub-domain of one of the following may be appropriate:
- apps.cam.ac.uk — web applications
- cdt.cam.ac.uk — centres for doctoral training
- cloud.cam.ac.uk — cloud services
- event.cam.ac.uk — conferences and symposia
- fund.cam.ac.uk — funds and bursaries
- group.cam.ac.uk — a recognised University group, e.g. cross-disciplinary research group
- hub.cam.ac.uk — a shared activity, its resources, facilities and administration (often having an outward-facing component)
- masters.cam.ac.uk — inter-Institutional postgraduate degree-bearing courses
- societies.cam.ac.uk — an established University society
- tripos.cam.ac.uk — inter-institutional undergraduate degree-bearing courses.
These names should not be used for cases that fit within the scope of a single institutional name. For example, the Colleges' IT Managers Group is citmg.group.cam.ac.uk as it does not belong to any single college or other institution.
Apply for a domain
You can apply for a top-level domain name within the cam.ac.uk domain using an online form on the IT self service portal. You can also apply for a second-level umbrella domain under cam.ac.uk using the same form. Read our help page which explains how to complete the form.
If you would like to use a subdomain within an institution you should contact your local IT team. Your local IT team will be able to register the subdomain using the IP register database. They can set up any subdomain that ends with the domain they have permission over. Read more about setting up subdomains on the IP register.
Any non-cam.ac.uk domains can be ordered directly from external internet service providers. UIS recommends Mythic Beasts as we have an agreement with them to allow us to help manage domains registered with them. You can read more about the reciprocal agreement for domain hosting with Mythic Beasts.
How your application is reviewed
Your domain application forms are sent to a panel for approval or reasoned rejection. The panel has technical expertise and experience with the sort of clashes and confusion that have occurred in the past. This is often when acronyms or overly generic names have been used.
Ongoing use of the domain name once allocated
Institutions are responsible for keeping content updated once either a domain name or an email address has been allocated. You should have a plan for future contacts if your institution has a finite lifespan. The lifespan should also be flagged when the domain is created.
When a name is no longer required, the institution's Relationship Manager should be informed. Redirections should be used for a period of time, and unmaintained web content should be clearly labelled. UIS may suppress domain names that are obsolete are in danger of damaging the University's reputation, or both.