An SSL certificate is a digital credential that encrypts the connection between a visitor's browser and your school's website, and it is required before your public website module can be published securely over HTTPS. This article explains how your school orders an Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate and how PCR Educator provides the certificate signing request (CSR) and installs the certificate for you.

The work is shared. Your school places the order and completes the identity and domain checks with the certificate provider. PCR Educator generates the CSR that the order requires and installs the issued certificate on your website. Please coordinate with PCR Educator at the CSR step so the two parts line up.

Note: PCR Educator uses Sectigo as the certificate provider.

Before you begin

• Decide who at your school will place the order. This person should have authority to purchase on behalf of the school and access to a school email address, because the provider sends verification messages during the process.
• Have your school's legal organization name, address, and a verifiable main phone number ready. Extended Validation requires the provider to confirm these details against public records.
• Identify the exact domain the certificate will protect (for example, your school's primary web address). Confirm this domain with PCR Educator before ordering so the CSR matches.
• Do not generate a CSR yourself. PCR Educator provides the CSR so that the certificate installs correctly on your website.

Ordering the certificate

• Go to the Sectigo SSL certificate store at https://www.sectigo.com/ssl-certificates-tls and open the Extended Validation (EV) SSL section, or go directly to the Single Domain EV SSL page at https://www.sectigo.com/ssl-certificates-tls/ev-extended-validation/single-domain-ev-ssl.
• Choose the term length of 3 or 5 years.
• Select Buy Now for that term and continue to the cart.
• Create a Sectigo account or sign in to an existing one, then proceed to configuration.
• On the configuration screen, enter your confirmed domain as the Primary Domain.
• If a free site seal (Sectigo trust seal) is offered, leave it enabled.
• Review your school's organization details, agree to the subscriber terms, and complete checkout and payment.
• After payment, watch your email for the provider's next steps. The certificate is not issued until the following validation is complete.

Completing validation

• Follow the verification instructions Sectigo emails to the school. Extended Validation involves confirming your school's identity and your control of the domain, and it can take several business days.
• Respond promptly to any verification call or email, since the order stays on hold until every check clears.

Providing the CSR

• When the order reaches the step that asks for a CSR, contact PCR Educator and let us know the order is ready. Please include your Sectigo order number.
• PCR Educator will generate the CSR for your domain and send it to you as a text file.
• Open the file, copy its entire contents, and paste them into the CSR field on the Sectigo order screen. Copy everything, including the "BEGIN" and "END" lines.

Example: If PCR Educator sends a file named yourschool.txt, paste the full contents of that file into the CSR box exactly as provided.

Sending the issued certificate to PCR Educator

• Once validation is complete, Sectigo issues the certificate and provides it for download, usually as a compressed (zip) file that contains the certificate and related files.
• Download the file and send all of its contents to PCR Educator without renaming or editing any file. PCR Educator will convert the files to the format the website requires and complete the installation.

Note: If you have any trouble downloading the certificate, or if the download does not appear to include the full set of files, contact Sectigo support with your order number and they can resend it. Share whatever they provide with PCR Educator.

Note: Keeping the certificate current is what allows your public website module to stay reachable over HTTPS without browser security warnings. Please treat renewal reminders as time sensitive.