edu

edu (derived from education) is the sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet for educational institutions, primarily those in the United States. Although not officially mandated for much of the domain's existence, in practice it has been used primarily for U.S.-based four-year universities. Starting in 2001, it was officially restricted to accredited postsecondary institutions and organizations that are accredit... more

edu (derived from education) is the sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet for educational institutions, primarily those in the United States. Although not officially mandated for much of the domain's existence, in practice it has been used primarily for U.S.-based four-year universities. Starting in 2001, it was officially restricted to accredited postsecondary institutions and organizations that are accredited by nationally recognized accrediting agencies. Created in January 1985 as one of the first top-level domains (the other five being com, gov, mil, net and org). edu was originally intended for educational institutions anywhere in the world. On April 24, 1985 cmu.edu, berkeley.edu, columbia.edu, purdue.edu, rice.edu, and ucla.edu became the first six registered domain names. With few exceptions, however, only educational institutions in the United States registered such domains, while institutions in other countries usually used domain names... less