Preferred First Name & Legal Name FAQs
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In most instances, Penn will use a student's preferred first name in University correspondence and documentation, including on your PennCard, Path@Penn, Canvas, course rosters, and the Penn Directory. If no preferred first name is provided, your legal name will be used.
However, Penn will always use your legal name in circumstances where required by law, such as for tax documents or federal reporting obligations. Additionally, your legal name will be used in situations where its omission could impact your access to healthcare, such as when Penn Wellness coordinates care with external healthcare providers or your health insurance.
Students have the ability to edit their own preferred first name, personal pronouns, and gender identity via the "Update my personal information" link on Path@Penn.
In most cases, Penn defaults to using your preferred first name in University correspondence and documentation. Your preferred first name displays:
- On your PennCard
- In the Path@Penn system
- In the Canvas tool
- On Course Rosters
- In the Penn Directory
- In Penn Wellness systems
- On education verification letters produced by the Office of the University Registrar (OUR)
- On Development & Alumni Relations communications
If you prefer your legal name to be used in these places, do not list a preferred first name. Penn uses your legal name if you do not list a preferred first name.
Complete a Legal Name Change form and provide all required documentation. Information can be found on the Update Your Student Data page.
Please note: If you graduated from Penn before Fall 2010, your legal name cannot be altered on your records. The Office of the University Registrar (OUR) can provide a verification letter stating that the name on your transcripts was your legal name at the time of attendance. Please get in touch with the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) via email at registrar@upenn.edu for assistance.
- On tax documents provided by Penn
- In federal reporting requirements to the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
- In WorkDay*
- Penn Wellness documents
- On Penn.Pay
- On unofficial and official transcripts
- On diplomas
*If you are employed by Penn and are a currently enrolled student and would like your preferred first name to be used in WorkDay, you must update or add your preferred first name separately in this system. See "How can I add or update my preferred first name in WorkDay?" below for more information.
You can add or update your diploma name prior to graduation via the Graduation Application. You can view your Graduation Application information, including your diploma name, via the "View my student profile" link on Path@Penn.
Please note: you cannot change your diploma name after you have submitted your graduation application. In order to update your diploma name after submitting your graduation application, you must submit a Diploma Name form. Information can be found on the Update Your Student Data page.
Submit a Diploma Name form and required documentation. The form can be found on the Update Your Student Data page.
Please note, if you would like to update your legal name you must submit a separate Legal Name Change form with required documentation. The form can be found on the Update Your Student Data page.
To change your legal name in Workday, you can:
- Log in to Workday@Penn
- Select the Personal Information app from the app menu
- In the Change section, select Preferred Name
- Uncheck the Use Legal Name as Preferred Name option
- Edit the name fields
- Click Submit
More information about Workday@Penn can be found here.
To change your legal name in Workday, you can:
- Log in to Workday@Penn
- Select the Personal Information app from the app menu
- Click Legal Name option
- Enter your new name information
- Attach a supporting document for the legal name change
- Click Submit and Done
More information about Workday@Penn can be found here.
Contact the local support provider (LSP) of your school or center. Please note that if your PennKey username changes, so will your username on all other systems that are based on your PennKey username such as your email account name.
PennKey Support information can be found here.
