Preferred Name

Registration and Records
In this Section

Effective in September 2013 any student at the University of Wisconsin - Stout can indicate their preferred first name to the university community regardless of whether or not they have legally changed their name. 

Choosing a preferred name in Access Stout will automatically change which name appears in many internal locations such as class lists, your student center, and unofficial transcripts. 

Places Where Preferred Name is Used 

  • Unofficial Transcript
  • Electronic Academic Advising Reports
  • Class Rosters
  • Grade Rosters
  • Campus Directory
  • Learn @ UW-Stout (Canvas)

Places Where Legal First Name is Used

  • Student Accounts
  • Financial Aid
  • Responses to enrollment inquiries such as verification requests (unless you have chosen FERPA Exclusion)
  • Official Transcripts
  • PDF Academic Advising Reports
  • School of Education teacher certification records
  • Human Resources (Student Employment Documents)

Please Note: preferred name is used solely for University of Wisconsin - Stout's internal systems; external systems (such as home-town newspapers, official transcripts, enrollment verifications, etc) will continue to use your legal first name.

Updating your preferred name does not change how your email name appears. Please read the information on How to Update Your Email Display Name in the section below.

Keeping Your Legal Name Private

If you do not wish UW - Stout to share your legal name with external organizations you have the option of requesting FERPA (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act) directory exclusion, which revokes the University's right to share any of your information with any outside source. This option is available when changing your Preferred Name on Access Stout. 

It is important to know that choosing to request FERPA exclusion means that you will not be listed in the directory and the University cannot confirm your student status (e.g., for the purposes of credit card and insurance verifications, etc) For more information, please contact the Registrar's Office at 715-232-2121

How to suppress personal information through AccessStout

It is NOT POSSIBLE to change your legal name online.

How to Change Your Preferred Name

If the decision is made to change your preferred name please follow the Preferred Name guide to successfully change your information. 

Staff with an administrative need (e.g., police, health, and financial services; deans' office staff) will see both legal and preferred names. Similar to GPAs and other sensitive information, these staff are trained on the implications of this access. 

Contact the Registrations and Records office at registrar@uwstout.edu or (715) 232-2121 with any problems that may occur during the Preferred Name change process. 

How to Update Your Email Display Name

Students may change their display name on UW-Stout email. Click Here to learn how. Contact the Helpdesk with questions about this process -- techdesk@uwstout.edu or (715) 232-5000.