Name Changes
The information below details the policies and procedures governing legal and preferred/chosen names, as well as how changes can be made. The ability to change a preferred/chosen name relates only to the first name.
We recognize that many students use names other than their legal names to identify themselves. Banner, Oberlin College’s system of record, includes a preferred/chosen field for the first name only. That field is populated with the preferred/chosen first name that appeared on your application to Oberlin. If no preferred/chosen first name was entered, the preferred/chosen first name field defaults to the student’s legal first name. A preferred/chosen first name can be changed through Banner Self Service.
Where is my preferred/chosen first name used?
Preferred/chosen first names are used on documents and in places from which regulatory reports are not derived. Preferred/chosen first names also appear in the online Campus Directory. A preferred/chosen first name can be used for a student's ID Card, email address, class lists maintained outside of Blackboard, ResLife/Dining, Center for Student Success, advisor lists, and places where a legal first name is not required. In the student mail room, when a student has a preferred/chosen first name, the labels on mail and packages will show their preferred/chosen first name along with the legal last name. If the student does not have a preferred/chosen first name, the labels will display the legal first name and legal last name. The Faculty Summary Class List (accessible only to faculty) displays preferred/chosen first names.
How do I change my preferred/chosen first name?
A preferred/chosen first name can be changed through Banner Self Service by clicking on the My Self Service Profile in OberView. You will need to sign in to the task with your single sign on ObieID and password.
What happens when I change my preferred/chosen first name?
Once the name change is processed:
1. Blackboard is updated with the new information in its next feed from Banner. Between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, there is one feed every hour and one overnight.
2. Banner Self Service reflects the name immediately. The Faculty Summary Class List will also reflect the name immediately (which is accessible to faculty only).
3. The new name will appear on any reports/lists/labels generated from Banner after the change where a preferred/chosen first name is used.
4. The student may request a new student ID at no cost.
5. The student may also request a change in email by submitting a request to do so through the CIT Tech Support Portal task in OberView. A CIT representative will review the request and contact the student to arrange a convenient time for the changeover. Please remember that this is a permanent change to your email account.
Which offices are alerted to the name change?
AARC, CIT, Career Center, Office of Communications, Conservatory of Music, Controller’s Office, Dean of Students, Development Resources, Financial Aid, Main Library, Multicultural Resource Center, Religious & Spiritual Life, Res Ed/Dining Svc, Safety, Student Academic Services, Student Accounts, Student Advisor(s), Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Mail Room, Student OCMR
The legal name is the first, middle, and last name as reflected in My Self Service Profile. This is the official name in a student's Oberlin Academic Record. The Registrar's Office may only change a legal name when presented with a completed legal name change request form and documentation that a legal name change has been completed through the court system.
Where is my legal name used?
Student Accounts, Financial Aid, responses to enrollment inquiries such as verification requests, official transcripts, student employee/payroll information, internal systems that require and can only accommodate the legal name, all external communications, and reporting.
How do I change my legal name?
The Registrar's Office may only change a legal name when presented with a completed legal name change request form and acceptable legal documentation that a legal name change has been completed through the court system. Please contact the Office of the Registrar for information on how to proceed in making a legal name change request.
Acceptable Legal Documentation
- Court Order
- Marriage License
- Divorce Decree
- Driver's License
- State Identification Card
- Social Security Card
- Passport
What happens when I change my legal name?
Once the name change is processed:
1. Blackboard is updated with the new information in the next feed from Banner.
2. Banner self-service reflects the name immediately.
3. The new name will appear on any reports/lists/labels generated from Banner after the change.
4. The student may request a new student ID at no cost.
5. The student may also request a change in email by submitting a request to do so through the CIT Tech Support Portal task in OberView. A CIT representative will review the request and contact the student to arrange a convenient time for the changeover. Please remember that this is a permanent change to your email account.
Which offices are alerted to the name change?
AARC, CIT, Career Center, Office of Communications, Conservatory of Music, Controller’s Office, Dean of Students, Development Resources, Financial Aid, Main Library, Multicultural Resource Center, Religious & Spiritual Life, Res Ed/Dining Svc, Safety, Student Academic Services, Student Accounts, Student Advisor(s), Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Mail Room, Student OCMR
I graduated. Can I request a diploma that reflects my new legal name?
Graduates can change their legal name of record by contacting the Office of the Registrar and presenting a completed legal name change request form and acceptable documentation of a legal name change. A new diploma can then be requested in the new name. Information about obtaining a new diploma is found on the Replacement Diplomas page.
Can I request an official transcript that reflects my new legal name?
Yes. Please wait to request an official transcript until after the Office of the Registrar has confirmed your legal name change is complete in our system. Information about requesting an official transcript is found on the Registrar's webpage. Click here: Transcripts.
There are at least three situations in which a student's name will be read or listed for graduation: the diploma, the commencement program, and the names which the deans read as the student crosses the stage.
Diploma
The Office of the Registrar prints diplomas. Unless requested, the name on the diploma will be the legal name listed in the Oberlin Academic Record. Students can request that a different name be printed on their diploma when completing the graduation application. Students may choose their preferred/chosen name or request a variation of their legal name. Acceptable variations of a legal name include a middle initial instead of your full middle name or a shorter first name (Dot instead of Dorothy). We cannot print a completely different name on your diploma than what is listed in My Self Service Profile.
Please note that if the diploma is to be used internationally for credential purposes, the diploma should be printed with the legal name.
Commencement Program
The Office of Communications is responsible for producing the Commencement program with the help of the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar supplies the list of graduates' diploma names to the Office of Communications after the spring term graduation application closes.
Students may request a different name be printed in the program through MarchingOrder. Special requests and name changes must be submitted before the stated deadline in MarchingOrder.
Deans' List of Names
Each student who marches at the Commencement Ceremony will have their name displayed and read by the appropriate dean as they cross the stage. When registering to attend commencement through the MarchingOrder task in OberView, students may list their chosen/preferred name or a variation of their legal name for this purpose.
Students will also be invited to provide a guide for pronunciation in the Marching Order task. Please complete that process as soon as the invitation is issued and before the stated deadline.