Change of Name and/or Address
Current students who change their permanent home address are expected to complete a request in writing and submit it to the Office of the Registrar. Students who have moved and who have not submitted a change of address in writing are not exempt from the consequences of failing to receive official College notices and communications. Delays in notifying the Office of the Registrar of address changes may cause delays in the handling of student records and in notifying students in cases of emergency. Note that official College correspondence is mailed to the permanent home address of record for current students. Students that have not yet matriculated must contact the Office of Admissions to change the permanent home address. Students that have graduated must contact the Office of Institutional Advancement to change the permanent home address.
A legal name change must be accompanied by a copy of a legal document authorizing the change when submitting a request in writing. Once a legal change of name occurs due to marriage, divorce, or other reasons, an information change form should be promptly filed with the Office of the Registrar.
A student may also request a change in preferred name if a legal name change is not warranted. Changing the preferred name does not require the same legal documentation – in fact, a student need only submit the request to the Office of the Registrar in writing and, as long as the preferred name is not for purposes of misrepresentation, it will be changed. In addition, students may also indicate a preferred name prefix (Mr., Ms., Miss, etc.). Once a preferred name is changed, it will be reflected on all class and grade rosters.
Note that the legal name of record will still be used on official transcripts, federal and state financial aid reports, enrollment verifications, payroll, and other legally binding documents.
Further descriptions of the type of required documentation, by reason, are as follows:
Divorce
A student who wishes to change a name because of divorce must present a court order as evidence that the divorce decree has been granted. A woman may resume her maiden name after divorce only if such change has been authorized by the court.
Immigrant Students
These students may not change to names which do not appear on their passports. Thus, a passport is sufficient documentation for a name change.
All Others
All other students are permitted to change their names without court order by completing a change of information form and presenting proper verification of the new name. This verification must be one of the following pieces of identification showing that a new name has been legally adopted by the student.
- Driver’s License
- DMV Identification Card
- Marriage Certificate
- Passport
- Legal Court Document
- Birth Certificate
- Alien Registration Card
This proof is required for all changes, even if the student is adding or dropping one of the following:
- I, II, III, IV, Jr., Sr. or some other suffix to the name
- Middle name or initial
- Hyphen (Clearwater to Clear-Water)
A student or former student who has received a bachelor’s degree from the College may not have the name changed on that portion of the record preceding the award of any such degree without presenting a court order and paying a processing fee for the printing and mailing of the replacement diploma bearing the new name. New students should contact the Office of Admissions to process any relevant name changes prior to matriculation.