Columbia University in the City of New York

Name Changes

Legal Name

A Legal Name is the name that appears on your passport, driver’s license, birth certificate, or U.S. Social Security Card. Your name of record is the name listed in the Columbia University Student Information System. To request a name change, you may do so in person or by mail. If you are no longer a current student at the University and would like to change your name of record, you must mail a notarized Name Change Affidavit along with photocopies of the required forms of ID to the Office of the University Registrar to the address below.

Copies of the following documents are required:

  • Government-issued photo ID
  • Another form of ID
  • Proof of use of the old name (credit card, University ID Card, marriage certificate, bank statement, etc.)

Note: If you have a preferred name in SSOL and submit a subsequent legal name change, you must delete your preferred name in SSOL in order for the new legal name to appear.

Morningside

Office of the University Registrar – Student Service Center
Columbia University
210 Kent Hall, MC 9202
1140 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027

CUIMC

Office of the University Registrar - Registration & Enrollment Services
Columbia University
154 Haven Avenue, Room 402
New York, NY 10032

 

Preferred Name

Columbia University recognizes that some students prefer to identify themselves by a First Name and/or Middle Name other than their Legal Name. For this reason, beginning in the Spring 2016 semester, the University will enable students to use a “Preferred Name” where possible in the course of University business and education.

Under Columbia’s “Preferred Name” policy, any current student may choose to identify a Preferred First and/or Middle Name in addition to the Legal Name. Students may request this service via a link on SSOL. All requests are reviewed by the University Registrar’s Office.

Note: If you have a preferred name in SSOL and submit a subsequent legal name change, you must delete your preferred name in SSOL in order for the new legal name to appear.

To learn more about Columbia’s “Preferred Name” Policy, read our Frequently Asked Questions.