Name Change Policy

2020-2021 Catalog

Legal Name Change

The name on the student's official college records is the name that appears on the original application for admission to Marymount Manhattan College. In order to request a legal name change (including last name), a student must complete the “Official Change of Name” form and present documentation that the student's name has been legally changed.

Legal documentation includes one of the following below:

  • Birth certificate;
  • Certificate of naturalization;
  • Court Order - Original court order signed by the presiding judge and bearing the county filing stamp;
  • Marriage certificate - Original marriage license bearing the filing stamp from the county or parish in which the license was issued;
  • Divorce or dissolution decree - Original divorce decree that includes a specific decree granting restoration of the maiden or other name. The decree must be signed by the presiding judge and bear the county filing stamp. If submitting a certified copy, you need only include the first page of the decree, the page containing the name restoration order, and the page bearing the judge’s signature.

The student should present the original legal document or a certified (i.e. notarized) copy to the Office of the Registrar in the CSS. Original documents will be copied for your file and returned to you. A driver’s license, social security card, passport, or marriage certificate issued by the church are not acceptable as legal documentation for a change of name, except when correcting a minor spelling error such as a transposition of letters.

Preferred Name Change

Marymount Manhattan recognizes that some students may prefer to identify themselves by a name other than their legal name. In such cases, students can opt to use a preferred name in place of their first name by filing a “Preferred Name Request” form. Once the PNR form has been filed, the “Preferred Name” will be displayed where possible in Marymount Manhattan’s student information system. Not all of the College’s systems can display a preferred name and many times a legal name is required. Students who utilize a preferred name should always be prepared to reference their legal name when needed. A preferred name designation is not a legal name change.

As long as the use of the preferred name is not for the purpose of misrepresentation, Marymount Manhattan College acknowledges that a preferred name be limited to the following places:

  • Mobile ID card in MMC's TouchNet system;
  • Program Evaluation;
  • Blackboard - Note: Official class rosters not on Blackboard will display the legal name;
  • Registration / Billing Statement from the Office of Student Accounts;
  • MMC Email display name.

Marymount Manhattan College is legally required to use a student’s legal name for the following records:

  • International Student documentation – SEVIS records, immigration/ visa documents;
  • Student Financial Aid and Loan documentation;
  • Federal or State Requests for information (including tax forms-1098T, W-4, etc.);
  • National Student Clearinghouse;
  • Academic Certifications (of enrollment, good standing, degree completion);
  • Academic Transcripts;
  • Diplomas.