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Generic TLD DNSSEC Education & research

.college What it means and what it's used for

.college is a generic top-level domain (gTLD), aimed at education & research. XYZ.COM LLC runs the registry under a contract with ICANN.

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Generic TLD

Generic TLD

.college

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What is .college?

.college entered the DNS root zone on April 10, 2014, 12 years ago. It came out of ICANN's New gTLD Program, the 2012 application round that grew the root from 22 generic TLDs to well over a thousand.

XYZ.COM LLC operates a large portfolio of 35 TLDs, including .audio, .auto, .autos, .baby and .beauty.

On the technical side, .college is served by 4 authoritative name servers, every one of them reachable over IPv6. It is also DNSSEC-signed: the root zone carries a DS record for .college, which lets validating resolvers check its answers cryptographically. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.college).

Same registry, other endings

34 other TLDs share this operator.

.college FAQ

What does .college mean?

.college is a generic top-level domain named for the word "college", and it's aimed at education & research. It doesn't belong to any country.

What is .college used for?

.college is mostly used for education & research. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.

What country is .college?

None. .college is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.

Who owns the .college domain extension?

XYZ.COM LLC operates .college as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.

When was .college created?

.college was delegated to the DNS root zone on April 10, 2014.

Is .college a valid domain?

Yes. .college is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2014, so .college addresses work in every browser.

Can I buy a .college domain?

.college names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read XYZ.COM LLC's policy if you're unsure.

Is .college DNSSEC-signed?

Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .college.

Sources

Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed August 12, 2025. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

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How well do you know .college?

Three questions. Each right answer is worth 10 XP — more if you keep a streak going.

  1. 1In which year did .college enter the root zone?

  2. 2Who runs the .college registry?

  3. 3Can the public register names under .college?