Change your name

Change your legal name at university

Your legal name needs to be included on any formal university documents. This includes degree certificates, transcripts and status letters (e.g. bank letters). If you change your legal name, this will need to change on university systems.

To change your legal name in the university student systems, you must present one of the following legal documents:

• Passport or National Identity Card
• Driving licence
• A marriage certificate or divorce decree absolute
• Enrolled deed poll
• Statutory declaration
• Police report
• Birth certificate
• Evidence of a title change such as a PhD certificate (for example, when changing your title to Dr).

Present your documents to your Faculty Office, either in-person or via email. Scanned copies are sufficient. 

You must also provide your student number, date of birth, and first line of address and postcode, to help us confirm that we can make changes to your record.

You will also need to update your record with any other relevant funding organisations such as the Student Loans Company. It is essential that your university records match those held by funding bodies as any mismatch may affect your ability to access funding.

International students

Students with a student visa are also required to report a legal name change to the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) authorities. The records held by the University will need to match those held by UKVI.

If you hold a visa and have changed/will be changing your name, contact the Student Visa Advisers (student-visa-advice@bristol) who will be able to guide you on how to update the UKVI on any changes.

To update records held in your country of origin, such as passports, you will need to follow your own country’s procedure. The appropriate Embassy or High Commission may be able to provide further advice on how individuals can change their names.

Add a preferred forename

If you would like to add a preferred forename to your student account, update your details in Student Info.

This does not constitute a formal change to your name. Your original name will still be visible to staff, but they will see that you prefer to go by a different name.

Change your name on IT systems

If you change your name in your student record, your new name will appear across university systems. This includes Blackboard, MyBristol, Outlook and Office 365. Your username will not change.

It will also appear on your OneDrive files.

Usernames

As of 2019, university usernames are made up of 2 random letters + year of entry + 3 random numbers. Usernames are fixed, and it is not possible to change them. However, if you are concerned about your username, contact IT Services.

Add an alias university email address

Students have a default email address of username@bristol.ac.uk. You can set one additional alias address via this self-service form. This will become your default 'send from' address automatically.

Outlook only allows people to create one alias address themselves. If you already have an alias address and would like to change it to match your new name, you can delete your old alias and/or request a new one. To do this, contact IT Services, who can do this for you.

Change your name in your staff record (students who have been employed by the University)

If you have been employed by the University, your staff record name will supersede your student record name in Outlook and Office 365.

If you wish to change your preferred or legal name in your staff record, contact the relevant HR team for your staff role. If you would like to change your legal name, you will need to provide the legal documents.

Employment might constitute an internship, acting as an open day ambassador, or a part time teaching contract which are most frequently offered to PGR students.

Change your name in the SU database

Your preferred name can be changed on the SU’s database by following one of two processes:

• The first time you log on to the SU website you will be prompted to confirm your details and agree to the website terms and conditions. You can change your preferred name on this screen in the relevant fields.
• Alternatively, log in to the SU website using single sign-on and hover over your name. Click ‘Your Account/Profile’. Navigate to ‘My Details’. Scroll to the bottom of this page. Click ‘My data is incorrect’. This should open a new email window, use this to enter your student email address and the details that you would like changed.

Following this process allows the SU to confirm that the account you are changing belongs to you. The SU cannot change your account if you email them directly.

Get a new UCard

UCards are available from Security Services in Royal Fort Lodge.

If you need a new UCard because the details on your card do not match your student record, you will not be charged a replacement fee. 

You can also have your UCard reissued with your preferred forename once you have changed this in Student Info. 

There is no need to pre-order your UCard, the whole process only takes a few minutes to complete.

Change your title

To change your title on your student record, or to remove it entirely, email your Faculty Office. You do not need to provide any formal documentation. You can choose to remove your title entirely if you prefer.

Update your legal sex

The University does not hold data on a student’s gender identity as distinct from legal sex and it is not currently possible to record this distinction in your student record.

To request a change of sex in your student record, submit a written request to your Faculty Office. You will need to provide the following evidence, confirming your legal sex:

• Passport or National Identity Card, or
• Birth certificate

The University will not ask you to provide a Gender Recognition Certificate or any proof of your medical history.

International students

If you hold a visa and have changed/will be changing your legal sex on your student record, contact student-visa-advice@bristol.ac.uk who will be able to guide you on how to update the UKVI on any changes. 

Record your gender identity

If you wish to record your transgender identity on your student record, respond 'no' to the following question on your student record during registration each year:

Gender Identity
Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were originally assigned at birth (Yes/No/prefer not to say).

You can change your answer to this question at any time by submitting a written request to your Faculty Office.