Name Changes

Current Students

The Office of the Registrar maintains students’ official academic records and personal information including names and gender in Banner, the University’s student information system.  Official records are linked to a student’s legal name and gender, per federal financial aid and reporting regulations.  

Current students must submit a completed Name Change Request Form. The form requires you to upload one piece of government-issued documentation (driver’s license, passport, marriage license, divorce decree, etc.) in order to change their legal name in the student information system (see below for information on chosen names).  The documentation must include the new legal name. Email any questions to the Office of the Registrar at medreg@georgetown.edu .

For instructions on how to change email address display names, please review Instructions for changing the name on your Gmail account .   For assistance, please contact the UIS Helpdesk at help@georgetown.edu .  Please note that students’ NetID and login will remain the same after a name change.

Students wishing to change their gender in the student information system should submit one piece of documentation (e.g., driver’s license, passport, court order, signed doctor’s letter) noting the gender marker change to the Office of the Registrar via email at medreg@georgetown.edu .

Alumni

The Office of the Registrar does not make name changes retroactively after a student is no longer in a degree program or enrolled at Georgetown School of Medicine.  We can post a notation to the transcript with the name change by court order, and cross-list the student’s record with the name on the court order so that any future inquiries or requests regarding enrollment at the School of Medicine will be matched correctly to a graduate’s academic record.  If a name has changed since a student graduated, duplicate or replacement diplomas will reflect the name as of when the student graduated from the School of Medicine barring an extenuating circumstance.

Chosen Name Policy

Georgetown University recognizes that many of its students use a name other than their legal name.  Current students may elect to use a chosen first name other than their legal name without documentation. The legal name will still be used for official transcripts, diploma(s), financial aid documents, payroll, and other instances where a legal name is required by law or University policy.  

Students may enter a chosen first name in lieu of their legal first name online in GU Experience.  Legal last names may not be changed without documentation.  As long as the use of the chosen name is not for the purposes of misrepresentation, the University acknowledges that a chosen name may be used where possible.  Although students are generally free to determine the chosen names they wish to be known by, inappropriate use of the chosen name policy (including but not limited to avoiding a legal obligation or misrepresentation) may be cause for denying the request.  Georgetown reserves the right to remove a chosen name if it is used inappropriately. Chosen names are limited to alphabetical characters, a hyphen, and a space.

It is expected that students will request no more than one chosen name while enrolled at Georgetown. Students may always revert to using their legal first name instead of the use of a chosen name. 

FAQs

Log into GU Experience, click the “Personal Information” tab, then “View/Update Biographical Information”.  Enter “Chosen First Name” and submit changes.

  • Canvas – Canvas class rosters may take 3-4 hours to update with the chosen name.  Please note that if you change your name directly in Canvas, your Canvas name will not be able to update with the chosen name you entered in GU Experience. Faculty do not have access to view student gender on their class rosters.  
  • Email – You may change your email address display name to reflect a chosen name.  For instructions, please review Instructions for changing the name on your Gmail account.   For assistance, please contact the UIS Helpdesk at help@georgetown.edu.  Please note that your NetID and login will remain the same.
  • GU Experience – Your chosen name will appear automatically in GU Experience class rosters. Faculty do not have access to view student gender on their class rosters.
  • Hoya360 – Students will see chosen and legal names, and legal gender in their Hoya360 profile.  Hoya360 profile information is visible only to the student.  Name changes will be reflected within 24 hours. 
  • Microsoft Account – Chosen names from GU Experience will not automatically appear in Microsoft accounts.  For assistance in changing your name, please contact the UIS Helpdesk at help@georgetown.edu.
  • University Directory – Chosen names should appear in the GU Directory within 24 hours.  For assistance, please contact the UIS Help Desk at help@georgetown.edu.
  • Zoom – Students may change their Zoom profiles to reflect a chosen name.  To access your Zoom profile, sign in to the Zoom web portal and Profile to change the display name.

Your legal name will be used for records in student health, financial aid, billing statements, official transcripts, certifications, diplomas, licensing documentation, payroll, and other instances where a legal name is required by law.  Since student addresses are tied to legal names, any notices sent to your home address will use the legal name.