The University can provide free SSL certificates for any domain name (including non ".edu" domains) controlled by a University entity (division, department, school, lab, etc.). The prerequisite is that the domain must pass an industry-standard process known as Domain Control Validation (DCV) which confirms the domain is under the University's administrative control. This is a common-sense precaution to prevent misuse of certificates by third parties. DCV must be completed prior to issuing a certificate for a new domain and then annually. Note that the DCV expiration date is independent of a certificate's expiration date. Our Certificate Authority does not provide a way to receive automated notifications of impending DCV expirations so it is incumbent on the requester to avoid DCV expiration. DCV is a multi-step process involving the requester, the requester's system administrators, IT Services, and Sectigo. Please allow sufficient time for completing the process.

The process can be completed using one of these methods:

Name	Method	Domain Validation Inherited by Subdomains
DNS CNAME	Add a provided CNAME record in the domain's DNS records	Yes
DNS TXT	Add a provided TXT record in the domain's DNS records	Yes
Email to preset address	Respond to an message sent to one of a preset list of email addresses in the requested domain: admin@, administrator@, hostmaster@, postmaster@, or webmaster@yourdomain.edu. You must choose in advance one of these options.	Yes
HTTP(S) file retrieval	Upload a text file to a specific URL within the requested domain. Sectigo completes verification by fetching that file via HTTP(S) protocol.	No

 

Please initiate the DCV process using the ServiceNow Domain Control Validation (DCV) Request.

IT Services will request DCV using the method you requested. For the email method, expect an email from Sectigo to your chosen address. For the other methods, we will relay Sectigo's instructions for DNS or HTTP via the request ticket. Follow those instructions and reply when completed. IT Services will contact the Certificate Authority and finish the validation process. Once it is complete, you will receive an automated email from cert-manager.com. After you receive that email, you can request certificates for the newly validated domain.

This is a multi-step process. Allow at least five business days for IT Services to handle the administrative aspects of your request (requesting DCV and delegating the approved domain). Any delay by the domain administrator in handling their part in the DCV process will add to that time.

If you have any questions about the process, please ask your question using ServiceNow Domain Control Validation (DCV) Request.