Frequently Asked Questions

Have a question related to updating your information at SDSU?

If you have a question that is not included here, visit our Contact page to find the campus partner best equipped to assist you.

SDSU students, faculty and staff have the ability to update their lived first and middle name, to be reflected across campus systems.  

For detailed instructions, please visit our How to Update Your Lived Name page.

If you have correctly submitted a Personal Information Update in my.SDSU, or completed the Lived/Preferred Name Designation or Change Form in PeopleSoft HCM for faculty and staff, your lived name should be reflected across SDSU systems where there is no necessity to use one’s legal name within one week. These areas include, but are not limited to: 

For Students:

  • University-managed databases 
  • Class rosters
  • Email display name
  • Portals, including Canvas, SDSU Navigate, and Aztec Scholarships 
  • Sites managed by the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities 
  • Sites managed by the Office of the Dean of Students
  • SDSU Library
  • SDSU Housing: Emails, Housing Portal, Key Envelope, Door Name Tag, Mail to Campus UPS Store


For Faculty and Staff:

  • Day-to-day interactions
  • Internal Communication
  • Internal systems such as PeopleSoft HCM
  • Directories
  • Reporting

At this time, students cannot rename or change their SDSUid email address. These accounts are created automatically based on the name you provided to SDSU when you enrolled and cannot be changed. However, the email display name that accompanies your SDSUid will be updated and reflect the lived name submitted through my.SDSU.

For physical documents, an individual’s lived name will be prioritized, unless there is a legal necessity to use one’s legal name. SDSU is not able to customize association of a specific name to a specific address.

For Students: The process to update your legal name is online through my.SDSU. Below is a checklist to support the implementation of an update to an individual’s legal name. 

Legal names can be changed at SDSU with the proper documentation. 

  • For a U.S. citizen, you must show a government-issued identification card (e.g. driver's license) AND a Social Security card reflecting the new name.

  • For non-U.S. citizens, you must show a valid passport and photo ID that uses the new legal name.

Students receiving financial aid must also request that their financial aid record be updated through the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships. Visit the Student Financial Center for assistance.

For Faculty and Staff: Legal name changes can only be made with government-issued photo identification and an updated Social Security Card. Contact the Center for Human Resources for more information ([email protected]; 619-594-6404).

Yes. The graduate name that is read during the Commencement ceremony does not need to match the name printed on your diploma.

When students apply to graduate, they are given the option to select the name they would like to have printed on their diploma.  This information is then provided to SDSU’s primary vendor for Commencement, Tassel.

When you receive the email prompting graduates to register for their ceremony, graduates will receive an access link to Tassel to complete their registration. Graduates will then be able to enter the name they would like to be read during the ceremony and presented on the lower third of the jumbotron at Viejas Arena.  

The name entered in Tassel does not need to match the name printed on your diploma, and updating the name presented at the ceremony does not automatically update your official student record or change the name listed on your diploma or in the digital program.

If you have any additional questions regarding Commencement, contact the SDSU Commencement team by emailing [email protected].

Yes, SDSU alumni are able to update their legal name with SDSU after graduation and request a reissued diploma. 

Contact the Office of the Registrar to update your legal name for your diploma.

Once confirmed, you can order your reissue diploma easily online through SDSU's official diploma vendor, the Michael Sutter Company. 

For physical diplomas: You will be able to choose standard delivery or express overnight delivery (additional fees apply). There is a $20 charge for each diploma replacement. (Latin diploma replacements are available for $30, and only for students who received a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences).

For an official eDiploma: A SDSU eDiploma is a signed and certified PDF of your original paper diploma. This can be used for easy degree verification purposes. The eDiploma is a one-time fee of $20.