Update Your Lived Name and Gender Marker

Students can update any biographic/demographic information (name, address, phone number, gender, etc.), through the Profile tile in my.SDSU. 

1. Login to my.SDSU.
2. Navigate to the Profile tile.
3. Click on Student Forms. 
4. Select the Personal Information Update link. You will be redirected to another page where you can update your personal information.
5. Once your information is submitted correctly, you will receive a confirmation email and changes will be reflected across SDSU systems within one week.

Note: At the beginning of every semester, you will be reminded to check your biographic/demographic information to confirm it is accurate. my.SDSU integrates with a number of systems on campus, so once it is changed in my.SDSU, you will see changes to your personal information reflected across SDSU systems within one week, if not sooner.

Updating Your Gender Marker

Students enrolled at SDSU under their assigned or legal sex at birth may update their gender marker in the student records system to reflect their gender identity. This change can coincide with the process of updating one’s name on their university student record, following the same steps as if updating your lived name. Gender markers can be updated to male, female or nonbinary. No medical documentation is required to update one’s gender marker. 

Note: SDSU acknowledges the spectrum of gender identities a person may hold and the limitations of only having male, female, and nonbinary as the gender marker options on my.SDSU. SDSU is committed to, and currently engaging in, conversations with key stakeholders to expand the gender markers available to select.

After receiving the confirmation email noting that your lived name was updated, you may choose to request a new student identification card (SDSUcard) reflecting your updated lived name. Verification of the updated name (i.e. the email confirmation) should be provided to the SDSUcard Office. To receive a new SDSUcard you must visit the Card Office in-person.

The Card Office is on the second floor of Student Services West in room 2536 and is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.). Note that there is a $25 replacement fee when students, faculty and staff request replacement cards. That charge will be charged to your my.SDSU account.

Note: Global Campus students may access the GET application, click on “SDSU Card Replacement Request,” to request an updated card.

Students may include their lived name on diplomas and commencement programs, which can be indicated in my.SDSU as the “diploma name.” For additional information about diplomas and commencement, undergraduate students may review the Diploma web page and graduate students may review the Graduate Affairs Graduation Information web page.

With my.SDSU, the process to update an individual’s legal name is online. For convenience, 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 legal name.
  • For a non-U.S. citizen, 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 information about how to change a legal name in San Diego County, see Superior Court of California, County of San Diego Name or Gender Change. Free Name and Gender Marker Change Clinics are also available from the Legal Aid Society of San Diego. 

For information about how to change a legal name in Imperial County, see California Courts Self-Help Guide.

Note: If you are changing your legal name mid-semester, notify your instructors of this change to avoid grading discrepancies.

Any current faculty or staff member may designate a lived name or change an existing lived name through PeopleSoft HCM.

1. Login to PeopleSoft HCM.
   
2. Navigate to Self Service, Personal Information.
   
3. Click on Personal Information Summary
   
4. Click the Lived/Preferred Name Designation or Change Form. 
   
5. Complete the AdobeSign webform.
   
6. Electronically sign the webform via email. 
   

Additional guidance is available by visiting the Center for Human Resources front desk on the 4th floor of the Extended Studies Center (5701 Hardy Avenue, San Diego, CA 92182), or visiting the Center for Human Resources Virtual Front Desk. 

 Employee gender information is treated as private and confidential and is generally used only for legal requirements and aggregate reporting.

For employment purposes, gender is self-reported and not verified against legal identity. This information is captured at the time of hire with reporting options recognized by California law – male, female, and X or nonbinary. Where a self-report is not made, the university will record the individual’s gender as unknown. The information provided by a hired employee is recorded in the university’s human resources system. 

An employee may access their gender record by visiting PeoplesoftHCM and navigating to Personal Information. 

1. Login to PeopleSoft HCM.
   
2. Navigate to Self Service, Personal Information.
   
3. Click on Personal Information Summary.
   
4. See Employee Information at the bottom of the page.
   

Note: SDSU acknowledges the spectrum of gender identities a person may hold and the limitations of only having male, female, and nonbinary as the gender marker options on my.SDSU. SDSU is committed to, and currently engaging in, conversations with key stakeholders to expand the gender markers available to select. 

An employee may change their legal name by visiting the Center for Human Resources front desk on the 4th floor of the Extended Studies Center (5701 Hardy Avenue, San Diego, CA 92182), or visiting the Center for Human Resources Virtual Front Desk. 

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

For information about how to change a legal name in San Diego County, see Superior Court of California, County of San Diego Name or Gender Change. Free Name and Gender Marker Change Clinics are also available from the Legal Aid Society of San Diego. 

For information about how to change a legal name in Imperial County, see California Courts Self-Help Guide.

To update your lived name in the alumni database, please fill out the Update My Info form on the SDSU alumni website.

Alumni looking to request a reissued diploma with their updated lived name are encouraged to do the following:

1. Contact the Office of the Registrar through the Contact page of the Registrar website to update your lived name for your diploma.
   
   
2. 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.