General Requirements

All domain names must:

  • Clearly reflect the service, program, or function provided. The domain name should make sense on its own, without context
  • Not match or closely resemble the name of an existing college, department, or administrative unit unless officially representing that unit.
  • Use stable naming that will not require frequent changes
  • Align with university branding and naming conventions
  • Identify a responsible university unit, a designated owner, and a technical contact responsible for ongoing maintenance, compliance and review

Requests that do not meet these requirements will be denied or returned for revision.

Websites Hosted on Department Servers

  • Departments may not independently configure or publish domains without approval from the Office of Web & Digital Strategy.
  • Once approved, configuration and technical setup will be coordinated with Information Technology.

Websites Hosted on Commercial Servers

  • Departments seeking to use a non-unlv.edu domain must receive prior written approval from the Office of Web & Digital Strategy.
  • Use of "unlv" or any university-identifying term in an external domain is prohibited without approval.
  • Departments are responsible for all costs related to registration, hosting, security, and maintenance.

All externally hosted websites representing the university remain subject to university web policy and standards.

Domain Structure

The university uses a hierarchical domain structure.

Format: name.unlv.edu

Approval is limited to services that meet all of the following:

  • Serve multiple colleges, divisions, or the full university
  • Support a broad external or cross-campus audience. 
  • Do not serve an internal-only audience
  • Represent a long-term, university-level service or function
  • Cannot be logically placed within an existing department domain

Third-level domains must not:

  • Represent a single department, lab, or internal group
  • Be created for temporary initiatives, pilots, or research projects
  • Duplicate or compete with existing university services

All third-level requests must include a written justification demonstrating compliance with these criteria.

Format: service.department.unlv.edu

Fourth-level domains are the default and must be used when:

  • The service is owned or operated by a specific department or unit
  • The audience is limited to a program, course, or student group
  • The use case is instructional, research-based, or experimental

Requests that do not qualify for third-level domains will be approved at the fourth level.

External domains using "UNLV" must:

  • Be approved prior to registration
  • Follow the naming format unlv-unit.ext when applicable
  • Be registered and controlled by the university
  • Identify a responsible university unit, business owner, and technical contact

Units are responsible for all costs associated with external domains.

Request Process

To request a third-level domain name, fourth-level domain name, or alternative URL, contact the IT Help Desk. Please be prepared to provide the following information:

  • Details about what service(s) this is for (e.g., "a web server that will host the XXX website," rather than a vague description such as "a web server").
  • Target audience (e.g., UNLV faculty and staff, the media, the public at large, professors within the education college, etc.)
  • Principal technical person responsible for the service. (Provide name, phone number, and email.)
  • If the requester is not a UNLV employee, name of the UNLV employee sponsoring the service. (Provide sponsor's name, phone number, and email.)
  • IP address for the service.

Requests will be reviewed for compliance with these standards.

Requests may be approved, denied, or returned with required modifications.

The Office of Web & Digital Strategy, in collaboration with the Web Governance Council may approve exceptions when a request demonstrates clear institutional value.

Lifecycle Management

All domains are subject to ongoing review.

Units must:

  • Review domain usage annually prior to the start of the academic year
  • Confirm accuracy, relevance, and continued need
  • Update ownership and contact information as needed

Domains may be modified, consolidated, or removed if they:

  • Are no longer in active use
  • Duplicate existing services
  • Present risk to security, accessibility, or brand integrity

Enforcement

The Office of Web & Digital Strategy has final authority over all domain name approvals, modifications, and removals. The Web Governance Council provides advisory support and reviews escalated or disputed requests. Failure to comply with these standards may result in action by the Office of Web and Digital Strategy in coordination with the Web Governance Council.

Actions may include:

  • Required renaming or restructuring of domains
  • Restriction of publishing access
  • Temporary or permanent removal of the domain

Questions

Contact the Office of Web & Digital Strategy for guidance and support.