Changing your name
When you apply to study at Royal Holloway, University of London the name you provide should match the name shown on your passport, EU National Identity Card or Marriage Certificate. As part of your enrolment process, we will ask to see your identity documents to check that we have the correct name recorded on the student record system.
Once verified at enrolment, and unless a change of name request is submitted and approved, this is the name that will be used on your degree certificate if you successfully complete your degree course, as well as other official documentation like Diploma Supplements and transcripts.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your name is correctly recorded with the University including any errors, misspelling or subsequent changes of your name. If you change your name or wish to have an error corrected, you’ll need to request a change of name.
How do I request a change of name?
To request a change of name you will need to email the Student Services Centre with the following information:
- Your name
- Student ID number
- The details you wish to change
- A scanned colour copy of documentation to support your request (see below)
What documents will I need to provide?
To process your change of name request, the Student Services Centre will need you to provide a scanned colour copy of one of the below documents:
- Passport
- Marriage Certificate
- Decree Absolute
- Change of Name Deed or Deed Poll
- Statutory Declaration
- Public Announcement
- Police Report (if you have adopted a new name for personal safety reasons)*
If your change of name request is associated with gender transition and you do not have the requested documentation, then we can change your name without documentation.
*Please note, photographs of documents taken using a phone or camera are not accepted. We reserve the right to request to see your original documentation in person if we are not satisfied with the scans provided.
Changing your preferred Name
If you have not legally changed your name, but would prefer to be known by a different or abbreviated first name (e.g. Nick instead of Nicholas), this can be entered as your preferred first name during the Online Sign-Up process or by contacting the Student Services Centre during your studies.
Your preferred name will appear on informal correspondence between you and your department or student services teams as well as some University systems, such as Moodle. Please note, preferred names will not appear on results documentation or Student ID card, these will contain your full legal name, as recorded in our systems.
FAQ's
Log into Campus Connect and click on the ‘My personal details tab’. Your name, as recorded in the student record system will appear in the top box ‘Personal Details’.
We aim to process all change of name requests within 5 working days upon receipt of your identity documents. However, in some cases it may takes us slightly longer but you will be kept updated on the progress of your request.
Yes, as part of the change of name process, you will be issued with a new Student ID card, except for students who have already reached their expected end date or are approaching their end date. We cannot update a Student ID Card with a students preferred name.
Yes, as part of the change of name process, we will contact the IT Services team to inform them of your name change so that they can update the name on your University email address. IT Services will set up a rule so that any emails sent to your old email address will automatically reach your new inbox.
If you are on a Tier 4 visa, your name recorded on your student record will be the same as your visa and passport. If the names recorded on your Tier 4 visa and your passport are different – you must contact the Student Services Centre so we can correct it.
If you are thinking about changing your legal name as Tier 4 student, we can do this; this will be following the above outlined process where will need to see supporting evidence of the change.
If we process a change of name for you, you will also need to apply for a new visa within 3 months.
Our Admissions Team can help you with changing your name after you have submitted your application but before you enrol. Please note that your name can only be changed in the applicant stage if it matches the full legal name on your passport unless the amendment is in relation to gender transition. Please contact them for further information at applicants@royalholloway.ac.uk.
If you are final year student, we can process change of name requests up to the point that you are awarded using the process outlined above. Please note, once you have been awarded, it will not be possible for us to process a change of name for you.
No, once you have been awarded and/or left the University it is not possible for you to change your name on our records or on any official award documentation, except in the following circumstances:
- Change of name associated with gender transition
- Change of name for personal safety reasons
If you have already graduated, but have changed your name for one of the reasons listed above, please contact the Student Services Centre: they will provide details of the specific documentation that will be required to process the request.
In exceptional circumstances, the University will consider name change requests for individuals who have been awarded/left Royal Holloway where the request does not fulfil the above criteria. This will be at the University's discretion.
Changing your address, phone number or personal email address
There’s no need to tell us in person if you want to update these details – you can update this information yourself by following these instructions:
- Log into Campus Connect
- Go to the My personal details tab
- Click on ‘My contact details'
- Click on 'Update Your Address'
- Overtype any corrections and then click 'save'.
Not sure what the difference is between your personal and forwarding address?
- Your personal address is where you live during term time
- Your forwarding address is where you live when you’re not studying, for example, your parent’s house or your address in your home country.
It’s really important that both these addresses are correct and up to date at all times. If they’re not, it can affect you receiving important documents, such as your degree certificate.
Changing your emergency contact details
If your emergency contact details change, please follow these instruction to update them:
- Log into Campus Connect
- Got to the My personal details tab
- Click on ‘My contact details'
- Click on ‘Update Emergency Contacts’
- Overtype any corrections and then click 'save'.