Updating personal information
Update your legal and preferred name, address, phone number, secondary email, and residency status.
The University of Calgary is committed to using the names of our students in ways that are respectful and inclusive. Our administrative practices and processes reflect this commitment and protect the integrity of UCalgary’s student records.
What’s in a name?
A Preferred Name is a name an individual chooses to use that may not match a person’s given legal or documented name. Preferred names are representative of an individual’s identity and true lived experiences.
A Primary Name is a documented or legal name as it appears on an individual’s birth certificate, citizenship certificate or legal change of name certificate. For non‐Canadian citizens, it’s the name as it appears on an individual’s foreign passport, travel document, or immigration documents.
Update your preferred name
You can choose to use a preferred name, rather than your primary or legal name across many university systems. The use of a preferred name is optional. If you don’t enter a preferred name, your primary name (legal or documented) will be the default name used.
UCalgary is dedicated to creating safe environments for all, including gender-diverse, culturally diverse and intersex members of our campus community. By making a preferred name option available, you can advise us on how you want your name to be represented.
Changing your preferred name won’t change your legal name on your student record. If you decide to add a preferred name, you won’t be able to delete it, but you can update it or replace it with your legal name. UCalgary’s systems are complex, so making the required changes will take time. Once a request has been submitted, it will take up to five business days for the change to reflect in the various UCalgary systems. It may take longer to have your preferred name reflected in Microsoft applications such as Teams, Office and SharePoint.
When creating a preferred name, please don’t include any of the following special characters in your name as this may affect your ability to log into certain systems: () /?"<>| ' , : ; @[] {}
Once you’ve added or updated your preferred name in your Student Centre, it will be displayed in the following applications.
- AIMS – Parking
- ALMA – Library
- CSIS – Active Living, Oval
- Class rosters
- ClockWork – Student Accessibility
- Computer labs
- D2L
- Elevate
- Email/calendar
- Office 365
- ServiceNow – IT/HR/Facilities Service Requests
- Star Rez – Residence
- Student Centre
- MS Teams
- Unicard (ID card, UPass)
- YuJa – Video content management
- Zoom
Update your primary name (legal name)
Your university student record contains your full legal name or primary name and is used for a variety of purposes. The steps required to change this name on your UCalgary student record depend on whether you’ve made a legal name change.
How to request a legal name change
To change/update your legal/primary name on file, submit a Service Request through your student/alumni portal and attach a government-issued document to match the new legal name.
We can’t process a request for change of name without acceptable documents. Acceptable documents include:
- Birth certificate
- Name Change Certificate from Vital Statistics
- Government-issued marriage certificate, divorce decree or separation court document
- Canadian citizenship certificate or card
- Permanent Resident Card
- Canadian passport
- International passport
Or
- Change of Name Statutory Declaration (see below)
Updating your legal/primary name on record doesn’t automatically update your IT login information or your UCalgary email. To update those details, contact IT three days after your legal/preferred name has been updated on your student record.
How to complete the Change of Name Statutory Declaration
To change the official name on your UCalgary student record without a government issued supporting document, complete the University of Calgary Change of Name Statutory Declaration form (PDF). Have the form signed and sealed by a Commissioner of Oaths. You can submit this form as the supporting documentation for your name change.
What this form does
This form is a method for you to declare your intention to change your name, and officially connect your updated name to your University of Calgary student record. If all requirements are met, the name change will be processed and reflected in the student system.
Where your legal name is used
This process will change your legal name on your student record within the University of Calgary. The updated legal name will be used on transcripts, parchments, government student loans, other government funding bodies, documents for RESP providers, tax receipts, verifications with potential employers, other universities, Citizenship & Immigration Canada, health insurance providers, and graduate school applications. External organizations will continue to use your legal name as it appears on your government issued documents. They may need proof that any University of Calgary student records or documents are your legitimate records.
Update your personal information (address, phone, email)
You can make changes to your personal information in your Student Centre. Visit the Personal Information section to ensure the details are correct.
- You can update your home (mailing) address if you’ve moved
- You can update your permanent address
- If you're moving, you can set an effective date for your new address change in advance
You can edit your current home and/or other phone number. Be sure to indicate a "preferred" contact phone number.
All UCalgary electronic communications (such as email and e-notifications) go your UCalgary email address. This is your official student email, as per the Electronic Communications Policy.
If your preferred email address is set to UCalgary, you can’t change it. Other email addresses will be used for emergency purposes only.
Updating your Residency Status
Residency status determines if you’re assessed international or domestic tuition rates. Submit a service request to change your residency status if you become any of the following during your time at UCalgary:
- Permanent Resident
- Canadian Citizen
- Conventional Refugee
- Dependent of a Consular Official (Diplomat to Canada)
Residency status change requests won’t be processed without acceptable documents. Acceptable documents include:
- Scanned copy of Canadian passport, citizenship certificate or card (include the front and back sides)
- Scanned copy of Permanent Resident Card (include the front and back sides) or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) from IRCC signed by IRCC Officials
- Notice of Decision issued by Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Note: Refugee claimants awaiting decision aren’t eligible for international fee exemptions as per Alberta Advanced Education guidelines)
- Passport with proof of diplomatic status, diplomatic status card, and/or an official letter from head of diplomatic station
We must receive residency update documents on or before the end of term to adjust your tuition rate for the current term. Documents submitted after the end of term date will only affect your tuition for future terms (not the current term).
There is no appeal process for documents submitted after the end-of-term deadline.
End of term dates can be found in the Academic Schedule.
FAQs
Yes, you can. After updating your preferred name in your Student Centre, please wait three business days. Then email campusservicecentre@ucalgary.ca with your UCID to let them know you have a new preferred name. Turn in your old UCID card and you’ll be given a new UCID card with your preferred name free of charge.
Yes, you can. You can update your email alias (e.g. firstname.lastname@ucalgary.ca) to match your preferred name.
If you're also a Continuing Education student, please review your student profile in the Professional and Continuing Education portal. Apply to update your name if required to ensure it matches your preferred name in the Student Centre. This will also ensure it shows correctly in the portal.
If you’re both a student and a staff member, follow the instructions in the preferred name guide.