View and modify your personal information at Indiana University (students)

On this page:

Overview
Set or update your name
Add or update your gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and/or world region
Add or update addresses
Add or update emergency contact information

Overview

Note:

Once yearly, as a student, you'll be prompted to review and/or update your local address and emergency contact information via an interrupt when logging into IU services.

Students can update their personal information through the Student Center. Examples include preferred name, degree name, ethnicity, addresses, phone numbers, non-IU email addresses, and emergency contacts.

Faculty and staff can update their personal information through the Personal Information page; see View and modify your personal information (such as preferred name, home address, birthday, or emergency contacts) for IU employees, groups, or affiliates for more.

Set or update your name

Indiana University uses the three name types defined below to identify students, faculty, and staff.

Primary name

Your primary name is your legal name that is used for transcripts, billing, financial aid, tax forms, and other pages and documents that require the use of legal names. Requests to update your primary/legal name may be initiated through your campus Office of the Registrar and must be supported by providing documentation such as a marriage license, driver's license, passport, or other appropriate legal documentation.

Note:

Primary names are maintained by Human Resources for all current and former IU employees. This includes students who are employed or have been employed on a part-time basis on any IU campus. To support data interfaces with federal and state tax offices, as well as partners that provide benefits (such as health care and retirement benefits), special accents and characters are not permitted in the Primary Name fields for employees. Special characters and accents may be used by all employees and students in the Preferred Name and Degree Name fields.

Preferred name

Students often use names that are not their primary/legal name and examples include appropriate nicknames, middle name instead of first name, a name to which the student is in the process of legally changing, an anglicized name (Wendy instead of Haiyan), or a name that better represents the student's gender. Preferred names are used for email, CrimsonCards, Canvas, class rosters, and other student/public-facing systems. By default your preferred name will be the same as your primary name and at your preference, you may update this name through the Student Center. Updates to your preferred name must be in compliance with Indiana University's Preferred Name Policy and are subject to being audited by the Office of the Registrar for compliance. Indiana University will not accept a preferred name that is vulgar, offensive, obscene or fanciful, creates confusion of the individual with another individual, or otherwise constitutes misuse or abuse.

If your preferred name significantly varies from your primary name, you will not be able to use your CrimsonCard as state voter identification. You will need to supply another form of photo ID when voting in Indiana. For information on how to change your primary name, contact your campus Office of the Registrar.

Your preferred name will not print on your diploma unless you also make it your degree name.

Degree name

Your degree name will appear on diplomas, certificates, Commencement Programs, and on university websites that list graduates. By default your degree name will be the same as your primary name and at your preference, you may update this name through self-service. Audits of degree names are conducted regularly by the Office of the Registrar. Indiana University will not accept a degree name that is vulgar, offensive, obscene or fanciful, creates confusion of the individual with another individual, or otherwise constitutes misuse or abuse.

Within the United States, the diploma is interpreted as a ceremonial document. This practice varies by country and students who will be seeking educational or employment opportunities outside of the United States are advised to use their legal/primary name on their diploma. Students from outside the United States who are receiving grants or funds from their home country are strongly encouraged to use their legal/primary name on their diploma.

Changes made to degree names less than 30 days prior to your graduation date may not be reflected on your diploma. Additionally, changes made after February 28 may not be reflected in the May Commencement Program. (The deadline for updates by students participating in the Bloomington December ceremony is September 30.)

Add or update your gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and/or world region

Indiana University offers students the option to self-report their pronouns, gender identity, sexual orientation, and world region. The university is committed to maintaining a welcoming environment that values inclusiveness, support, and respect for all members of our community and recognizes that pronouns, gender identity, and sexual orientation are forms of self-determination, self-expression, and self-affirmation.

The university acknowledges that pronouns should be used wherever appropriate in the course of university education. For students, self-reported pronouns will appear on class rosters, student advising records, and other systems that are used by faculty, advisors, and staff to support students. Gender identity, sexual orientation, and world region are considered restricted and will be shared with authorized university officials based on job duties and documented need for the data being requested. These data elements are not included in the university’s list of directory information and third parties who have been granted access by students to view portions of the student’s educational record will not have access to view these fields. These fields are controlled by the students themselves and should be updated or modified only by them or other authorized university personnel.

Students may record or update their pronouns through the Student Center.

Note:

The self-reporting of gender identity and sexual orientation should be available to staff and faculty in the fall of 2023.
To share your pronouns in IU systems, use the following:
- Students: The My Profile section of the SIS Student Center. The SIS Student Center serves as IU's official source for student pronoun data. See Specify Gender Pronouns in the SIS Student Center
- Faculty and staff: Canvas; see How do I select personal pronouns in my user account as an instructor?
- Guests enrolled in non-credit courses: Canvas; see How do I select personal pronouns in my user account as a student?
For information about updating your gender status with IU, see How to update your gender status; for information about IU policy related to gender expression, see Non-Discrimination/Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action (UA-01).

Add or update addresses

Indiana University uses four address types defined below to contact or send paper communications to students. Students may update their addresses through the Student Center.

Student home address

Your student home address is also known as your permanent address. This is generally the address where you spend time with your immediate family while not on any campus of Indiana University. If your campus mails diplomas, they will be mailed to your student home address.

Local address

You are required to maintain a Local Address type. If you reside at home while enrolled on any campus of Indiana University this address should be the same as your student home address. If you live near campus in temporary housing such as Greek Housing, residence halls, apartments, and rental homes while enrolled on any campus of Indiana University you must enter this address as a Local Address in the Student Center.

Note:

Some campuses create a Student Housing address type (not editable in the Student Center) for students residing in campus housing or residence halls. Students who have a current Student Housing address that is visible in the Student Center do not need to create a Local Address that mirrors the Student Housing address.

Mailing address

It is uncommon for students to have a mailing address that differs from their Student Home or Local address after they matriculate. One exception applies to students who receive their mail at a post office box. If this exception applies to you, please enter this address as a Mailing Address in the Student Center.

Billing address

Student bills are available electronically through the Student Center. Hard-copy bills may be mailed to students with past-due balances to the student's home address. Students who prefer to receive hard-copy bills at a different address that is not their student home or local address may record an optional billing address.

Add or update emergency contact information

Students are required to provide emergency contact information and maintain this information while enrolled on any campus of Indiana University. This information will be used by authorized university officials to notify your contact(s) if you become incapacitated or if you are deemed as missing for more than 24 hours by campus police or local law enforcement agencies. This information is accessible to authorized campus officials only and may be shared with law enforcement personnel as part of a missing person investigation. Students may update their emergency contacts information through the Student Center.