USC departments and organizations can obtain an official USC URL (also known as a website address), regardless of where their website is hosted, provided the site design and content meet USC’s eligibility guidelines.
Features
- An official USC URL (e.g. sitename.usc.edu), regardless of where the website is hosted.
Eligibility
- USC.edu URLs are available for official department, program, or organization sites. Sites must be monitored and controlled by USC faculty or staff.
USC Guidelines
In order to use a usc.edu domain, your site must comply with all USC policies and implement USC’s web branding guidelines, which can be found at www.usc.edu/identity.
Naming Conventions
You can request any USC address you’d like as long as the name:
- is not already in use
- relates to your site content and is not overly broad or vague
- meets all USC policy and identity guidelines
Acceptable URLs
- http://roski.usc.edu
- Why It Works: Clear and concise for users by referring directly to the school name: USC Roski School of Art and Design.
- https://policy.usc.edu
- Why It Works: Accurately describes site content. All USC policies can be found on this site.
Unacceptable URLs
- http://innovation.usc.edu
- Why It Doesn’t Work: Too broad. Unless your site is specifically about all innovation at USC, the URL doesn’t provide users with an accurate idea of your content or purpose.
- Acceptable alternatives: healthcareinnovation.usc.edu or stevens.usc.edu (for Stevens Center for Innovation)
- http://conference.usc.edu
- Why It Doesn’t Work: Inaccurate. Because many USC schools, departments and programs host conferences, using the umbrella term conference for a site about a conference with limited scope will confuse users. Unless your site is about all conferences hosted by USC, you should request a more specific URL.
- Acceptable alternatives: globaltrusteesconference.usc.edu or lariverconference.usc.edu
Getting Started
Requesting a DNS Alias (Most Common)
- To request a new URL, please fill out our USC URL Request Form. If we require additional information or clarification, we will contact you via email. You’ll receive an email update when we’ve completed your request.
- Note: You will need a valid USCNet login to access all our request forms. External development teams should ask their USC client to submit requests for them.
Scheduling
- Requests may take four business days to process so you should plan accordingly. To better control your site launch, you can request a URL in advance and add a note to the form telling us when you’d like to schedule the process.
Pricing
- There is no charge for a USC URL.