Preferred Name

As a student at MTSU,  you can provide a preferred name to be used if it differs from your legal name.  A preferred name (sometimes known as a chosen name, a nickname, or a name-in-use) is usually a first name that differs from one’s legal name.  You may prefer to go by your middle name, a version of your name, an Americanized name, or a name that reflects your gender identity. 

For those who choose to use one a preferred name will be used on class lists for faculty, in our D2L learning management system, and on other similar rosters. However, your legal name must be used for some purposes like financial aid and your FAFSA, as well as on your official school documents such as a transcript and diploma.  If you want to change your legal name, please submit a Name Change Request form and required documentation at https://www.mtsu.edu/one-stop/forms/.  Otherwise, current students may add, edit, or remove a preferred name by clicking the box below.

• Class rosters in Pipeline
• D2L rosters and discussion boards
• DegreeWorks
• Admissions
• Merit 
• MT One Stop
• Navigate (EAB)
• MTMail Display Name 
• Campus Directory

A preferred name will display in the following areas and processes on campus: 

As we expand the areas that you’ll see preferred name utilized, please note that for some processes your legal name must continue to be utilized, such as with financial aid documents, transcripts, and diplomas.  Otherwise your preferred name may be used in outgoing postal mail, on university press releases, and other outgoing documents. Please be aware before submitting a preferred name that we’ll use that name over your legal name in as many places as possible!