Personal Information Update

Official Name Change Guidelines

Guidelines for Changing the Name on Official Records
Guidelines for Changing Student Preferred First Name
Guidelines for Updating the Social Security Number and Individual Taxpayer Identification Number on Official Records
Guidelines for Updating the Date of Birth on Official Records
Guidelines for Updating Gender on Official Records

Guidelines for Changing the Name on Official Records

OUR manages official legal name records for UH students. Before requesting a name change, review the following guidelines. Legal documentation and a valid government-issued ID is required to update your name and must be submitted with the Personal Information Update eForm found in your myUH account. Acceptable legal documents for name changes are determined by the reason for the change as shown below. All foreign language documents submitted must be accompanied by a certified/notarized English translation.

Name Change Type	Name Change Permitted
First Name	You cannot change your first name without legal documentation, such as a birth certificate, court order, Certificate of Naturalization, Permanent Resident card or passport. International students must maintain their name exactly as it appears on their passport.
Middle Name	You can change your middle name to an initial (e.g., "Sue" to "S.") without legal documentation. However, to expand a middle initial, add or remove a middle name, you must provide a birth certificate, passport, Certificate of Naturalization or Permanent Resident card. A marriage license can be used to replace or add a maiden name as the middle name. International students must keep their name as it appears on their passport.
Last Name (Surname, Family Name)	You can change your last name using a marriage license, divorce decree restoring a maiden name, Certificate of Naturalization, Permanent Resident card or court order. For a name change due to marriage, you may replace your maiden name with your married name or use both, with the option to hyphenate. International students must keep their name as it appears on their passport.

A request to omit a first or middle name or to reverse the order of the first and middle names cannot be honored unless accompanied by appropriate documentation.

UH does not include prefixes or suffixes such as Esq., M.D. or Ph.D. in legal names.

Reason for Name Change	Documentation Required
Marriage	Original marriage license bearing the filing stamp from the county or parish in which the license was issued. Church-issued marriage certificates are not acceptable documentation for a name change.
Divorce	Original divorce decree that includes a specific decree granting restoration of the maiden name. The decree must be signed by the presiding judge and bear the county filing stamp. (If submitting a copy, only include the first page of the decree, the page containing the name restoration order and the page bearing the judge's signature).
Court Order	Original court order signed by the presiding judge and bearing the county filing stamp.
Citizenship by Naturalization	Original Certificate of Naturalization.
Correct an Error on the Admission Application	Birth certificate, Permanent Resident card or valid U.S. passport.
Diploma Name	Government-Issued ID.

Preferred Name Guidelines

A preferred name is a name you commonly use that differs from your legal name. The University of Houston allows students to provide a preferred name for use in certain University functions and records. Submitting a preferred name does not change your legal name. For details on legal name changes, refer to the guidelines.

Guidelines for Changing Student Preferred First Name

Preferred names do not require University approval, but officials reserve the right to review them. The Office of the University Registrar (OUR) will not accept names that are vulgar, offensive, obscene, misleading or could cause confusion with another person. A preferred name does not replace legal identification and cannot be used where a legal name is required by University policies, the state of Texas or other laws and regulations.

Examples of where preferred names are used:

Class rosters
Student Self-Service in myUH
Canvas
Commencement program

Examples of where the legal name will be used:

Official transcripts
Diplomas and certificates
Scholarships & Financial Aid records

For questions about this policy, please refer to uhour@uh.edu.

Guidelines for Updating the Social Security Number and Individual Taxpayer Identification Number on Official Records

Changes to your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) are permitted only if a new SSN or ITIN has been obtained or if an error was made in the original record. The Social Security card must include the student's signature.

Reason for SSN/ITIN Update	Documentation Required
New SSN/ITIN	A copy of the Social Security Card from the Social Security Administration Office or ITIN document from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Correction of Error	A copy of the Social Security Card from the Social Security Administration Office or ITIN document from the IRS.

Guidelines for Updating the Date of Birth on Official Records

A valid government-issued photo ID displaying your day of birth (such as a driver license, state ID or passport).

Guidelines for Updating Gender on Official Records

Students who wish to update the gender designation on their official academic record must provide a certified court order and a valid government-issued photo ID.