Changing Your Name at the University
Students may update their name at the university one of two ways: either by legally
changing their name and updating their student records OR by updating university systems with
a chosen name (legal documentation not required). See below for how to update your
name in multiple systems on campus. If you have questions about any of the information
below or experience any difficulties, please contact the LGBT Resource Center at lgbtrc@sa.utah.edu
or 801-587-7973 and we would be happy to help.
How to update your chosen name in CIS student information system:
- Login to CIS and then go to the Student Homepage tile
- Click on the Profile (one with your name) tile and click on the Preferred name type row
- Enter new chosen First name
- Click the save button
Where does my chosen name display when I update in CIS?
As of January 2021, if you update the "preferred name" field in CIS, your chosen/preferred
name will display in several systems automatically, including the campus directory.
For a list of current systems that automatic use chosen name when you update the "preferred
name" field in CIS, see the Office of the Registrar's website.
If you want to update your name in a system that is not listed currently on the Registrar's
website, contact the department who controls that system and ask them to update your
name. If you have concerns about this or are not sure who to contact, you may contact
our office and we will help you with this process.
Display Name in Outlook (UMail):
To update your display name in Outlook, call campus IT Help Desk at 801-581-4000 x 1 and ask that your display name in Outlook be updated. This will change your display
name both in your email and in the University directory.
It may take several hours for the server to update the display name. You can check
to see if the display name has updated, by going to webtools (http://webtools.umail.utah.edu/#/login) and logging in with your university credentials.
Things to keep in mind: Some departments on campus use their own servers, and in these cases it may take
longer for them to update the display name, even if it has been updated in web tools.
Also, if a user has emailed people previously with a different Outlook display name,
recipients will see the old name displayed even after the display name is updated
unless the email recipients clear their Outlook cache.
How to update your name in Canvas:
To update your name in Canvas, login, then click on the account icon in the top left.
Select profile, then click the edit profile button at the top right of the web page.
Then, on a desktop browser (does not work on mobile app), go to settings, then edit
settings, then you can edit full name, display name, and sortable name.
Edit your name and save profile. Further Information on Canvas settings can be found
here.
Chosen Name on Diplomas:
To have a chosen name listed on a diploma that is different from a student's legal
name, graduating students may send a request by completing a Change of Personal Information form and emailing from their umail to graduation@utah.edu. Documentation of a legal name change does not need to be provided to use chosen
name on a diploma, but graduating students must have updated their "preferred name"
in CIS prior to contacting the graduation division. Any questions about this process
may be directed to graduation@utah.edu.
If I have legally changed my name, how do I update my student record?
If a student has completed a legal name change, they may update their name of record
at the university by completing a Change of Personal Information form and providing documentation of legal name change. For more information see the Office
of the Registrar's website linked above and contact their office with questions. Once
you change your name of record, this should update in all university systems. If you
encounter any campus systems using the incorrect name, contact the department that
controls that system.
How do I change my gender marker in my student record?
If a student wants to update their gender marker in their official university record,
they must complete a Change of Personal Information Form and supply required documentation.
Current options for gender marker are "male" and "female." Contact the Office of the
Registrar with any questions. More instructions can be found on the Office of Registrar’s website.
