How to Get .Edu Backlinks from Top Universities (Harvard, MIT, Berkeley)

Getting a backlink from an educational website like Harvard or MIT is not easy. But if you do get one, it can improve your rankings and bring in more traffic.

Google often sees educational websites as trusted sources. Links from them look natural and can increase your site’s authority.

But why are .edu backlinks so valuable? Are they really that important? How can you get a dofollow backlink from a .edu website easily?

This article will show you a simple way to build valuable .edu backlinks that last.

We’ll cover:

• What Are .edu Backlinks, and Why Do People Use Them?
• Why .edu domains have so much authority
• Whether .edu backlinks actually boost rankings?
• How to find .edu backlinks

What are .edu backlinks and who use them?

An .edu backlink is a link from an educational website. Real .edu backlinks usually come from well-known educational websites with strong authority.

University and school websites have a large and interesting audience. This often includes young people, teenagers, and tech enthusiasts who are curious and love learning. Mostly 18–34 years old (students, graduates).

Websites and businesses that want to reach this audience use .edu backlinks.

It’s not only education platforms that get value from being mentioned on .edu sites.

Companies that provide online courses, edtech tools, or productivity software often seek these links. This is because students are a great market.

News sites, blogs, digital services, and many online businesses can benefit. They can gain relevant traffic and build authority.

Why .edu domains have so much authority

There are a few reasons why Google and people trust .edu websites.

1. Only schools can use .edu

Not everyone can register a .edu domain. Only real universities, colleges, and schools. This makes them trusted by default.

2. Quality content

.edu sites share useful things: research, reports, science, tech, and guides. They have strict rules, so low-quality content and spam don’t pass.

3. Big signal for Google

If a strong .edu site links to you, Google may see it as proof that your site is trusted. But the link should match your topic. If not, it may look like spam.

4. Hard to get

.edu backlinks are not easy. Every link is checked. That’s why they are rare and more valuable.

5. High DR (Domain Rating or Authority)

Most .edu sites have DR from 70 to 90+. For example, Harvard.edu (DR 93) or MIT.edu (DR 94). A single backlink from them can be stronger than 100 backlinks from small sites.

Whether .edu backlinks actually boost rankings?

Short answer: Yes.

But, as always, there are some “but”

.edu links don’t guarantee higher rankings. But they can bring relevant traffic and may increase your Domain Authority. More traffic can also improve user activity. People may scroll your pages, click links and buttons, or share your content.

In other words, they boost your site’s behavioral signals. When Google sees better behavioral signals, it can help your rankings.

The impact also depends on the page and the relevance of the referring domain. If the .edu site and page match your niche, the backlink is much stronger.

Always aim for high-quality links that are also niche relevant.

Getting links from relevant websites should always be your top priority.

How to find .edu backlinks?

An effective way to get .edu backlinks is to find and replace broken links on education websites, like school or university sites.

You can use GoneDomains to find .edu backlinks from famous universities websites like Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, and others. GoneDomains has a convenient filter to pick backlinks from the exact university or website you want. This tool can significantly enhance your link-building efforts and boost your website's credibility.

You can also use the Domain Rating filter on GoneDomains. This helps you find expired domains with good quality and authority.

Imagine you find a backlink you like on an education website.

The next step is to create or use relevant content on your own website that fits the topic of that link.

Then, set up a 301 redirect from the backlink’s expired domain to your content page. This way you capture the traffic from trusted .edu sites and also boost your site’s authority in Google’s eyes.

Expired domains often come with many backlinks, and all of them will start pointing to your site once redirected. That means more authority and steady traffic.

You don’t need to buy dozens of domains. Picking up just one to three expired domains each month is enough. Over time, even a few domains like this can bring in 200–500 backlinks.

If you have a tool or software, you can get free backlinks from big sites like Wikipedia, Forbes, The Guardian, and more. Think about it. It works really well if your audience is teenagers or students. Make a free tool for them and grab backlinks from 35 big websites with huge traffic.

A link from an .edu website is always valuable.

Getting quality .edu backlinks to your site is a smart way to get high authority and high trust links in your profile. But keep in mind, getting links from educational websites takes time and effort.

And remember, .edu backlinks are only one part of a strong link building strategy.