All websites that are funded and/or sponsored by the Institute are required to have a gatech.edu-based web address.
Georgia Tech owns the entire *.gatech.edu domain space. Any on-campus unit can request a domain name within this space at no charge. However, there are differences in domain names and brand standards that you need to consider.
Domain Name Formats
There are differences in domain formats, based on your unit's function and visibility.
Website Types and Domains:
- The official Georgia Tech website
- The internet domain name assigned to the Georgia Institute of Technology is gatech.edu.
- The Institute recognizes gatech.edu as its official domain name; it is legally registered to the Institute and, like other marks of the institution, is subject to the Institute’s use, policies, and guidelines.
- Institute-wide or multi-unit collaborative initiative websites
- Top-level domain aliases are generally reserved for units and initiatives that serve or represent the entire Institute and for multi-unit collaborative initiatives.
- A top-level domain alias is formatted as such: [requestedname].gatech.edu.
- Registered Student organizations (RSO) and Departmental Registered Student Organizations (DRSO)
- RSO and DRSO websites are assigned a “gtorg” alias.
- Student organization domains are formatted as: [requestedname].gtorg.gatech.edu.
- All other Georgia Tech unit websites
- All other academic, administrative, and/or other organizational units within the Institute that do not fit in the categories above are assigned sub-domains.
- This also includes personal websites that are hosted by the Institute.
- Sub-domains are formatted as such: [requestedname].[gtunit].gatech.edu.
- Sub-domain names can often be created and updated by a unit's Information Technology (IT) staff.
- Sub-domains do not have to go through the Institute-level vanity alias approval process to get a new sub-domain name, though your unit may have internal sub-domain name rules or best-practices.
- (Outside) Non-Georgia Tech Domain Names
It is possible to go to a commercial hosting company and purchase a non-Georgia Tech domain name. This practice is highly discouraged for several reasons:- Outside domain names have regular fees and costs. If your circumstances still warrant getting an outside domain name, make certain that billing is set up to go directly to your unit's financial department so that renewal fees get paid in a timely manner.
- Non-campus domain names may look suspicious to unfamiliar visitors, as non-campus domains have been used for phishing and cybersecurity incidents.
- Your website may not be able to make use of Georgia Tech services (such as single sign-on) that are limited to websites with a *.gatech.edu hostname.
- OIT may not be willing to host your website with an outside domain name (they reserve the right to make this decision on a case-by-case basis), so you may end up having to pay for outside web hosting as well.
- If you ever fail to renew your outside name, it could be grabbed by a spammer who could then put up a fake site under that domain name. This could hurt your unit's image and reputation for many years to come, as it is nearly impossible to get all links to your site throughout the internet updated to a new domain name.
Domain Name Standards
In order to create a cohesive web identity and to ensure the integrity of the Institute’s commitment to a unified web presence, the Institute has established brand standards for websites.
Requesting a Vanity Domain Alias
Institute Communications (IC) reviews all vanity domain alias requests to confirm they meet the brand standards for websites. Before requesting a vanity domain alias, you must read and understand the information listed under "Domain Name Standards" above.