Students, faculty and staff are required to provide their full legal name at the time of admission or hiring. However, they are able to indicate how they would like to be addressed within the campus community regardless of their legal name. Therefore, as long as the use of an individual’s “chosen name” is not for the purposes of misrepresentation or falsification, it will be accommodated for campus use and documents except where the use of the individual’s legal name is required for university business or legal need. The legal name will still be required and used for all official, external communication.
Students can designate a chosen name within MyBLUE and employees (including student employees) may designate a chosen name at the HR office or via a PDF – Personnel Data Change form. No legal documentation is required to make a change to the chosen name.
For the most part, the legal name will be used for all external purposes, such as data transmittals to governmental agencies or servicing agencies, and formal legal documents such as transcripts. Chosen name will be used primarily for internal purposes, including class rosters, advisor center and student center in MyBLUE.
Effective Fall 2016, ID cards will allow the chosen name to be printed on the front and the legal (primary) name to be printed on the back. If no chosen name is designated, the legal name will appear in both places. Students who choose to declare a chosen name are not required to obtain a new ID card but if they choose to do so, a replacement fee will be charged.
Email username will be created based on the chosen name, if available. If changes are made to chosen name email changes will need to be addressed with NU Information Technology Services nusupport@nebraska.edu.
The University of Nebraska must take reasonable steps to assure the name used by a student on educational records is the student's legal name. To change the legal name used on student records, a student must provide documentation in one of the following forms:
Completing the Personal Information Update electronic form in MyBlue. This e-form can be found under the Forms tab on the MyBlue dashboard.
Please note, a copy of one of the approved documents listed above must be uploaded within the form.
Completing the Personal Information Update Form, including one of the approved documents listed above.
Please note, individuals no longer enrolled at UNK who request a name change may present an approved document cited above. Their records will be noted with the change. Past entries will remain as posted on the permanent record.
