Students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) can update personal information such as their name, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, and citizenship status, as well as request changes to their preferred name through the forms below. Please reach out to the university office of the registrar (410)–706-7480 for any questions on personal information. 

Students who would like to correct or change personal information like Name, Social Security Number or Date of Birth. Caveat about what can be done with form. Please see preferred name for more information about how to change your preferred name. 

Form: Change Personal Information Form

Processing time: 2 business days

Note: All listed documentation must be submitted along with your request before it can be processed.  The signed and completed request can be submitted in-person, by mail, or by email.

Students can change their citizen status on their student records. Students must present the completed form along with the original documents in-person. The original documents will be returned to the student after copies are made.

Form: Request for Citizenship Status Change

Processing time: 2 business days

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) allows students and employees to request the use of a preferred name in place of their legal name in certain situations. This policy aims to respect and support individual identity preferences within the university community. Full UMB policy on preferred name.

Request a Preferred Name 

To request to use a Preferred Name, please visit UMB Preferred Name Administration. 

Typically, preferred name requests will be processed within 1-3 business days of submission. Once processed, the preferred name will appear in campus systems in 3 business days. This includes your UMB email address.

When possible, your preferred name should only include alphabetical characters (A-Z and a-z), a space, or hyphen (-).  Using other symbols may prevent your name from appearing as you prefer in campus software.  It is a violation of the UMB Preferred Name Policy to indicate a preferred name for the purposes of misrepresentation or fraud.  Once entered, a user’s preferred name may take up to 3 business days  to reach affected systems.  New preferred names are reviewed  and approved by the university office of the registrar.

Try to limit the number of times you change your preferred name. Changing your preferred name more than once can lead to confusion regarding your identity, challenges in customer service, and/or the interruption of your ability to access some university systems. 

Any preferred name that may be deemed to be an attempt at misrepresentation, fraud, or interpreted as offensive will be denied by the university office of the registrar.  The student will receive an email indicating the denial.  Students who are denied can contact the office of the registrar via email: registrar@umaryland.edu to discuss the denial.

Last Names

To ensure that instructor and other staff are able to appropriately identify you for class attendance, grading, and other university purposes, your primary/legal last name will always appear in conjunction with a preferred first and/or middle name.  Last name changes can only be changed through a legal name change.

Use of Preferred Name

Preferred names will be used in cases where the use of a legal name is not absolutely necessary.

Legal names are needed for many documents. These include but are not limited to: 

• Student Accounts
• TouchNet Bill +Payment
• Financial Aid
• Enrollment verifications (unless you have chosen FERPA Exclusion)
• Official UMB Transcript
• Human Resources and Student Employment Documents
• Immigration and Visa-Related Documentation
• Required State and Federal Data Submissions
• Commencement Program
• University ID

In interactions where legal names are necessary (e.g., campus police, law enforcement, medical records), be prepared to provide identifiers and clarify that you have both a preferred name and legal name in the system and provide your student or employee ID number.

International Students

Preferred name is for use within the university community.  International students may feel free to select a preferred name for on-campus use.  However, this does not apply in situations where one’s legal name is required to be used.  For the purpose of F-1 or J-1 student visa status, the legal name must be used on an 1-20 and DS-2019.  An individual’s legal name is what appears in the passport.

Access to Legal and Preferred Names

Following the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), staff with an administrative need (e.g., police, health and financial services; deans’ office staff) will see both legal and preferred names. These staff members are trained on the implications of accessing this sensitive information.

One Card

You can have your preferred name printed on the One Card ID. There is no cost for a preferred name or name change in exchange to your old ID. For assistance contact the One Card Office at umb-one@umaryland.edu or call 410-706-6943 to schedule an appointment.