Change of Name or Gender

In an effort to serve students, there have been some changes to our chosen name change policy. Effective immediately, students can request to use a chosen or preferred first name that will appear on course, grading and advising rosters. We have identified other areas that a name change may impact (i.e. College ID, diploma, email address, etc.) and we are committed to ongoing attention to these areas and updating them throughout the coming year. Please review the name change policies below.

All students currently enrolled are granted the opportunity to change their names on institutional records upon the production of legal evidence indicating their name change. Submit the Change of Name form along with the appropriate documentation directly to the Registrar’s Office.

Once your name is changed it will be viewable on the student information system and SageAdvisor.

What type of document can be considered legal?

Do I get a new email address when I change my name?

No, your email address will not automatically change. If you are requesting to change your Sage email, you must contact the IT Help Desk directly at sc.sage.edu.

Do I get a new ID card when I change my name?

No, your ID card will not automatically change. If you want a replacement ID card, College Services charges a $5.00 replacement card fee. College Services will need notification from the Registrar’s Office that you have officially changed your name.

How do you handle International Student Records?

International students must use the same name on their records as on their documents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and their passport.

The only exception is that any student can add a campus chosen name which will be the first name used on campus (specifically for course, grading and advising rosters). To request a campus chosen name, fill out the Chosen Name section on the Change of Name form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office.

Can I change my name if I don’t have legal documentation?

No. Formal name changes without supporting legal documentation will not be accepted. However, we do allow students to add a chosen campus name to use on campus for course, grading and advising rosters. A chosen campus name is not used for official academic record purposes.

Students who don’t have official documentation or are in transition can submit a campus chosen name, which will be the first name used on campus for rosters. Legally, we cannot change the official first name. Legal birth names will be stored in the student information system for archival purposes. Fill out the Chosen Name section on the Change of Name Form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office.

Do you update former student records?

After a student graduates or separates from Russell Sage College, the student’s academic file is closed. College records are historical documents and are not altered retroactively. Name changes, except in cases of adoption and legal gender change, are always applied from the time the change is made forward. Russell Sage College will accept requests from graduates for a change of name only if a certified copy of a court order is presented.

If I have graduated, can I get a new diploma with my new name?

If your name change request is accepted (you have already submitted the Change of Name form along with your proper documentation to the Registrar’s Office), then a diploma may be reissued for a graduate whose name has legally changed. Your old diploma must be returned and there is a fee of $50.00 to reprint a new diploma. The official signature(s) on and look of the diploma may not be the same as the signature(s) on and look of the original. Please be patient as the request will be sent to the printer and a new diploma may take up to a month to process. To request a diploma to be re-issued, please email the Office of the Registrar at [email protected].

How do you handle gender changes and the transition process? Trans*(gender/genderqueer) students?

If a student wishes for their expressed gender and name change to appear on their official academic records, then they must provide Russell Sage College with either a certified copy of a court order or documentation from a health professional that supports their transitioning process.   In other words, if a student finds themselves in the early stages of their transition and treatments and would like for their expressed gender and name change to appear on their academic records at the time of or after their transition then they would need to provide Russell Sage College with legal documentation to begin and finalize these changes.