Dive Brief:

• XYZ, the company that owns .college, is opening the first sales period for its domain today to registered trademark holders looking for matching .college addresses.
• The “sunrise” period lasts until April 17 and will offer domain registry for free, XYZ announced today.
• It will be followed by the “landrush period” from April 20 through September 22, when any other colleges and universities will still be able to obtain a .college address free of any application or first-year registration fees. Sales to the general public start Sept. 29, per XYZ.

Dive Insight:

XYZ is announcing its sales push for .college domains as a way to open opportunities for colleges and universities that were previously restricted by the regulations surrounding .edu. Accredited, post-secondary, U.S.-based institutions were the only ones with access to .edu, while .college will be available to higher education institutions, organizations trying to recruit the campus community, and individual professors, departments, or programs, according to XYZ. Back in 2013, XYZ CEO Daniel Negari said he expected .college to supplement .edu, not replace it. That is probably a safe bet as .college sales get underway this week.