Changes to Personal Data

You may update your addresses via MyUW. Another option is to submit a Change of Address form to reguwt@uw.edu, although this process is not immediate.

• International students: You may change your local address and mailing options through MyUW. However you must contact International and Student Scholar Services to change your permanent address.
• Student employees: Log into Workday to update the address in the UW Payroll and Human Resources system.

Changes to your address will be reflected on the Student Directory, which is used by the Office of the Registrar, Office of Student Financial Aid, Student Fiscal Services and other departments and offices.

The Student Record Name at the University of Washington is the name that you provided initially through the admissions application process. The Student Record Name appears on the official transcript and financial documents, even if you have identified a different Preferred, Commencement, or Diploma Name. It is also used as the default for Commencement and Diploma Name if you have not provided an alternative by the specified deadline for such purposes.

Note: The Student Record Name is often referred to informally as “legal name;” but this is incorrect. There are names that require legal documentation to change from one name to another, but one’s name is not considered legal or not legal, per University of Washington Attorney General Office guidance.

To change the name on your student record, you must complete the Change of Name form and provide copies of two legal documents that show your new name. A certified copy of a court order, a marriage certificate, or a dissolution decree reflecting the new name in full is the primary document required. If these documents are not available, then you must demonstrate usage and must provide proof that you are the person whose Student Record Name is being changed. This typically requires a photo ID. Once verified, you must submit a minimum of two of the following documents. At least one of the documents must have a date of birth, a photograph, and a signature:

• Former ID
• Valid driver’s license
• Valid military ID
• Student ID
• Other Valid ID: Must be issued by an institution of higher education, state or federal agency
• Valid passport
• Original copy of citizenship form that contains signature & photograph
• Foreign country’s passport
• A federally recognized Indian tribe’s enrollment card or a US Bureau of Indian Affairs identification card containing the signature and photograph of the individual
• Employee identification cards
• Business License
• Birth Certificate
• Social Security Card
• Utility, telephone, medical bills that show name used

Submit the completed Change of Name form along with supporting documentation to the Office of the Registrar Secure Document Upload Portal.

Middle Name

You may change your middle name(s) to an initial or vice versa without documentation. Documentation is required if you are adding or deleting a middle name.

Transcripts

Once the Student Record has been updated to a new Student Record Name, follow the Official Transcript ordering process to purchase a new official transcript.

Processing Time

While the main Student Database is updated immediately, not all systems that rely on the Student Database update student record changes immediately. Some update nightly, some update weekly, and some update only once per quarter.

A Preferred Name is the name that you would like others at the UW to call you instead of your Student Record Name. The Preferred Name (or Chosen Name) is one that you can change as often as desired. The Preferred Name can be consumed by a wide variety of applications at the University, including the unofficial transcript, class rosters, Husky Card, and the Electronic Advising Record System (EARS), to name a few. Be sure to provide a Preferred Name to the University only if you would be comfortable with anyone seeing this name in print.

Log into Identity.UW and follow the directions to set or change your preferred name with the University. You may choose a different first, middle, and/or last name as your preferred name.

If you change your preferred name after the first day of the quarter, then you must notify your professors and teaching assistants of the change to your preferred name. The University will not notify them that you have provided or changed a preferred name, although they will be able to see your preferred name and your student identification number.

The Diploma Name appears on the official University of Washington diploma if you have designated a specific Diploma Name to be used apart from the Student Record name. Diploma Name appears on the official University of Washington paper printed and ceDiploma. For more information, read about Diplomas.

To make a change to your social security number or date of birth on University of Washington records, you must complete the Change of Social Security (SSN) or Date of Birth (DOB) form and provide two copies of official documentation, which may include:

• Valid driver’s license
• Marriage certificate
• Court order
• Passport
• Original social security card – required for SSN changes

Submit the completed form along with supporting documentation to the Office of the Registrar Secure Document Upload Portal.

Gender Identity designates a person’s concept of self as male, female, or a blend of both or neither (gender X or non-binary) and reflects how individuals perceive and call themselves. A person’s gender identity can be the same or different from their sex designation.

The Office of the Registrar supports students’ identity and respects that gender is fluid and subject to change by allowing them to manage their gender identity in University systems.

Where Gender Identity is Used

Gender identifiers, as supplied by students to the University, are consumed by a wide variety of systems and applications. Examples include the Student Database, the Electronic Advising Record Systems, and Enterprise Data Warehouse/BI Portal reports available to University school officials.

How to Update Gender Identity

You may request to change the gender listed on your student record in-person or by email to reguwt@uw.edu from your UW email address. No documentation is required.