Student Name Changes
There are two types of student name changes at Western: legal name changes and lived first name changes.
Please allow two business days for the Registrar’s Office to process name changes after your request reaches us.
Legal Name Change
Update your Western student records after you have changed your legal name at your local courthouse, Social Security Administration, and Department of Licensing.
Gather legible copies of the following documents:
- Completed and hand-signed Name Change Request Form
- Updated government-issued photo ID (such as driver’s license)
- Updated social security card *
* A court order document may be provided instead of a social security card if you are not a financial aid applicant/recipient or current WWU employee.
Provide these documents to the Registrar’s Office Records Section.
- Mail/In-Person: Registrar’s Office, 516 High St, OM 230, Bellingham, WA 98225-9008
- Email: RORecords@wwu.edu
- Fax: (360) 650-7327
Your privacy is important to us, and we understand that these are sensitive documents. Please feel free to contact us if you prefer to provide them in a way that is not listed above.
Graduating soon? To change the name on your diploma after submitting a degree application, please contact Degree Evaluation at DegreeEval@wwu.edu before the end of your graduation quarter.
- Official transcripts
- Financial Aid documents and processes
- TransAct/Cashnet payment portal (Western Account Online)
- Enrollment verifications
- Everywhere else, unless you have a lived first name on file
Lived First Name Change
In support of Western's long-standing commitment to diversity, any student can use a lived first name (sometimes referred to as "preferred name") at Western regardless of whether they have obtained a legal name change.
Complete and submit the Student Preferred First Name Change e-sign form. The routing email address will automatically populate.
Please allow two business days for your lived first name to be updated in the internal Western locations listed below.
Lived first names are used in most university communications and displayed by default in many locations across Western. Please be aware that some academic records, such as official transcripts, will reflect legal name.
- Academic history (unofficial transcripts)
- Campus directory
- Canvas
- Class lists
- Outlook/email display names
- Grade and photo rosters
- President’s List (Honor Roll)
- Transfer Equivalency Report
- Western ID Card
- Western Libraries
Please note: Staff with an administrative need (such as police, health, and financial services; Registrar’s Office; advisors) will see both lived and legal names.
Additional Information
Physical ID Card: You can request a new Western ID card reflecting your new legal or lived name by contacting the Western Card Office two business days after Western’s main student information system has been updated. At your request, a new photo will be taken and printed on the new Western Card. There is no fee for this service.
Mobile ID Card: Your mobile Western Card should reflect your new legal or lived name a few business days after Western’s main student information system has been updated. If this does not happen automatically after a few business days, please contact RORecords@wwu.edu for assistance.
Students who change their legal name with the Registrar's Office name may request a corresponding change to their Western username and email address (username@wwu.edu). Request this change via the Get IT Help form.
Emails sent to the old username@wwu.edu email address will be forwarded to the new address.
While Western can only fulfill username change requests for legal name changes at this time, the Identity and Access Management project is working to improve this system.
Name changes for Faculty & Staff are administered by Human Resources. Detailed information about employee name changes can currently be found on the LGBTQ+ Western website.
If you do not want WWU to share your legal name with external organizations, you may restrict the release of your directory information at any time and gain confidential status.
Choosing confidential status means you will not be listed in the student directory and WWU cannot confirm your student status (e.g., for the purposes of degree verification for job applicants, insurance verifications, registration issues, etc.). For more information on confidential status and restricting the release of your information, please see the Registrar's Office FERPA page.
Who Should I Contact About Name Changes?
Zoey Brodsky | Forms & Records Analyst
Email: Zoey.Brodsky@wwu.edu | Phone: (360) 650-3301