2024-2025 Student Handbook

CHOSEN NAME POLICY

The Suffolk University community recognizes that many of its members use names other than their legal names to identify themselves. The use of this chosen name should not be created for the purposes of misrepresentation. The university acknowledges that a chosen name can and should be used wherever possible in the course of university business and education. Therefore, it is the policy of the university that any student may choose to identify themselves within the university's information systems with a chosen first and/or middle initial in addition to the person's legal name. It is further understood that the person's chosen name shall be used in all university communications and reporting except where the use of the legal name is required by university business or there is a legal requirement. The student is free to determine the chosen name they want to be known by in the university's information systems. However, inappropriate use of the chosen name policy, including but not limited to avoiding a legal obligation, misrepresentation, and the use of offensive language, including profanity or language which has the effect of mockery, may be cause for denying the request.

The areas in which student legal name will still appear:

Enrollment Inquires and Verifications Financial Aid Health, Insurance and Medical Documents and Records International Student Visa Status Official Transcripts Payment/Billing Back of student ID card (provided you obtain a new one)

Please be advised that designating a chosen name in the University's student records is not the same as legally changing your name through the court system. A student's legal name will remain unchanged in all university related systems. Students who do change their legal names and wish to change student legal name in the University’s records can obtain the Name Change Request Form on the Forms page on the website page of the University Registrar website.

Please note: This policy does not form a contract of any kind and may be modified, changed, altered, by Suffolk University at its discretion.

More information regarding the Chosen Name policy and process for submitting a chosen name is available at https://www.suffolk.edu/about/directory/registrars-office/undergraduate-resources-services/how-do-i

82