Updating Personal Information
Student personal information includes: legal name, preferred name, address, phone number, secondary email and residency status. Current students and alumni can update their personal information through their my.ucalgary.ca Student Portal.
The University of Calgary is committed to using the names of our students in ways that are respectful and inclusive. Our administrative practices and processes have been designed to reflect this commitment and protect the integrity of University of Calgary student records.
What’s in a name?
A Preferred Name is a name an individual chooses to use that may not match a person’s given Legal or Documented name. Preferred names are representative of an individual’s identity and true lived experiences.
A Primary Name is a Documented or Legal name as it appears on an individual’s birth certificate, citizenship certificate or legal change of name certificate, and for non‐Canadian citizens, the name as it appears on an individual’s foreign passport, travel document, or immigration documents.
You can choose to use a preferred name, rather than your primary or legal name across many university systems. The use of a preferred name is optional. If you don’t enter a preferred name, your primary name (legal or documented) will be the default name used.
UCalgary is dedicated to creating safe environments for all, including gender-diverse, culturally diverse, and intersex members of our campus community. By making a preferred name option available, you can advise us on how you want your name to be represented.
Changing your preferred name will not change your legal name on your student record. If you decide to add a preferred name, you won’t be able to delete it—it can only be updated. UCalgary’s systems are complex, so making the required changes will take time. Once a request has been submitted, it will take up to five business days for the change to reflect in the various UCalgary systems. Microsoft applications such as Teams, Office and SharePoint may take longer to have your preferred name reflected.
Add or change your preferred name
When creating a preferred name, please do not include any of the following special characters in your name as this may affect your ability to log into certain systems: () \/?"<>| ' , : ; @[] {}
Learn more about how preferred names are used throughout UCalgary systems.
Where will my preferred name appear?
Once you’ve added or updated your preferred name in your My UCalgary Student Centre, it will be displayed in the following applications.
- AIMS – Parking
- ALMA – Library
- CSIS – Active Living, Oval
- Class rosters
- ClockWork – Student Accessibility
- Computer labs
- D2L
- Elevate
- Email/calendar
- Office 365
- ServiceNow – IT/HR/Facilities Service Requests
- Star Rez - Residence
- Student Centre
- MS Teams
- Unicard (ID card, UPass)
- YuJa – Video content management
- Zoom
Can I get a new Unicard with my new preferred name?
Yes. Please wait three business days after updating your preferred name in the My UCalgary Student Centre, then send an email to campusservicecentre@ucalgary.ca with your UCID stating you have a new preferred name. Turn in your old ID card and you’ll be given a new ID Card with your preferred name free of charge.
Can I update my email alias with my preferred name?
Yes. You can update your email alias (e.g. firstname.lastname@ucalgary.ca) to match your preferred name. Follow the instructions in this guide.
Can I update my name in Destiny One if I’m also a Continuing Education student?
If you are also a Continuing Education student, please review your student profile in Destiny 1 and apply to update your name if required to ensure it matches your preferred name in the Student Centre. This will also ensure it shows correctly in D2L.
What if I am a staff member and a student?
Please follow the student instructions if you are both a student and a staff member.
Your university student record contains your full legal name or primary name and is used for a variety of purposes. The steps required to change this name on your University of Calgary student record, will depend on whether you have made a legal name change.
To change/update your legal/primary name on file, you will need to submit a Service Request through your student/alumni portal.
No request for change of name will be processed without acceptable documents. Acceptable documents are defined as follows:
- Birth certificate
- Name Change Certificate from Vital Statistics
- Government issued Marriage Certificate, Divorce Decree or Separation court document
- Canadian Citizenship certificate or card
- Permanent resident card
- Canadian Passport
- International Passport
Or
- Change of Name Statutory Declaration (see below)
Note: Updating your legal/primary name on record does not automatically update your IT login information or UCalgary email. If you would like to update these details, please contact IT 72 hours after your legal/preferred name has been updated on your student record.
If you would like to obtain a new student ID card, please contact the UNICARD office 72 hours after your legal/preferred name has been updated on your student record.
How to complete the Change of Name Statutory Declaration
To change the official name on your University of Calgary student record without making a legal name change, you will need to complete the University of Calgary Change of Name Statutory Declaration and have the form signed and sealed by a commissioner of oaths. You can submit this form as the supporting documentation for your name change.
This form is a method for you to declare your intention to change your name, and officially connect your updated name to your University of Calgary student record. If all requirements are properly satisfied, the name change will be processed and reflected in the student system.
This process will change your legal name on your student record, which is the name used for all official documents including transcripts, parchments, government student loans, other government funding bodies, RESP providers, tax receipts, potential employers, other universities, Citizenship & Immigration Canada, health insurance providers, and graduate school applications. This will only change your name within the University of Calgary. External organizations will continue to use your legal name and may require further proof that any University of Calgary student records or documents are your legitimate records.
If you have questions or would like support, please connect with Enrolment Services (403-210-7625).
In the “Personal Information” section of your my.ucalgary.ca Student Centre, you can make changes to your personal information to ensure it is up to date. View detailed instructions.
Address
- You can update your home (mailing) address if you have moved.
- You can update your permanent address.
- You can enter an effective date for the change in advance of a relocation for a future-dated address.
- This will automatically update your home (mailing) address with the new address on the date you have entered.
Phone number
- You can edit either your current home and other phone number.
- Please indicate a ‘preferred' contact phone number.
Secondary email address
- All University of Calgary Electronic Communications (email, e-notifications) will be sent to your UCalgary email address. This is your official student email, as per the Electronic Communications Policy.
Note that if your preferred email address is set to UCalgary, you will not be able to change it. Additional email addresses will be used for emergency purposes only.
If you become a Permanent Resident, Canadian Citizen, Conventional Refugee or Dependents of Consular Official (Diplomats to Canada) during your time at UCalgary, you can submit a Service Request to change your Residency status. A student’s Residency status determines if they're assessed the International or Domestic tuition rates.
If your Residency status has changed/ requires an update, you will need to submit a Service Request through your student/alumni portal.
Starting May 2023, the documents for a Residency update must be received on or prior to the End of Term to adjust your tuition rate for the current term. Acceptable documents submitted after the End of Term date will result in a change in your tuition for future terms only.
No request for changing your residency status will be processed without acceptable documents. The following are the examples of the documents accepted by Enrolment Services to process Residency Changes:
- Scanned Copy of Canadian Passport, Citizenship certificate or card (front side and back side)
- Scanned copy of Permanent Resident Card (front side and back side) or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) from IRCC signed by IRCC Officials
- Notice of Decision issued by Immigration and Refugee Board (Note: As per Alberta Education and Technology (AET) guidelines, International Fee exemptions are not granted for Refugee Claimants awaiting decision.)
- Passport with proof of diplomatic status, diplomatic status card, official letter from head of diplomatic station
Note: The deadline to submit your supporting documents is the End of Term date to adjust fees to the domestic rate for that term. Requests received after the end of term date will take effect during the next academic term in which the student is registered. For more information regarding the End of Term, kindly refer to the Academic Calendar.
There is no appeal process for consideration when documents are received after the End of Term deadline.
End of Term Dates
- Summer 2024: Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024
- Fall 2024: Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024
- Winter 2025: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Spring 2025: Sunday, June 29, 2025