Chosen Name Procedures

Harper College recognizes that students may use names other than their legal name to identify themselves. The college has created a process in order to allow students to request use of a chosen first name where possible.

  • A chosen name cannot be used for misrepresentation, fraud or illegal purposes.
  • The college reserves the right to deny requests for chosen names that are offensive, derogatory or involve repeated requests.
  • Once your chosen name has been submitted, the college will review the name to ensure it does not violate any of these standards. If your chosen name is not approved, you will be contacted within one business day to make another selection, or decision about your name.
  • Under FERPA, a student's name, including chosen name, may be disclosed to the public as directory information unless the student opts not to permit such disclosure (i.e., FERPA Hold). To revoke the disclosure of directory information or learn more about FERPA, visit the Harper College FERPA information page.
  • This process may be modified at the discretion of the college.

Where a Chosen Name Displays

A student's chosen name currently displays in the following locations, but we are working to expand this where possible.

  • MyHarper Portal
  • Registration
  • Blackboard
  • Class roster
  • Degree Works
  • ID cards

Where a Legal Name Remains

The legal name must be used in legal documents such as:

  • Official transcripts
  • Financial aid
  • Student accounts and billing notices
  • IRS form 1098T, 1099, and W-2 tax forms
  • Applications for employment
  • Employment, payroll records and benefits documents
  • Responses to enrollment and degree verification request
  • SEVIS

How to Request a Chosen Name:

  1. Log in to your MyHarper portal
  2. Click the "My Profile" icon
  3. Select "update chosen name" from the menu on the left

Frequently Asked Questions:

Only alpha characters may be submitted. No special characters or numbers are allowed. Chosen names will be reviewed, and things like slurs, corporate names and derogatory words will not be permitted as a chosen name.

Because many systems are involved, the process is not instantaneous. Some systems will display a student's chosen name immediately. Others may take up to 48 hours to reflect the change. Historical notes in systems will not update to reflect the chosen name change.

Yes, this option is available to all Harper students.

No. This is an option for people who want to use a name other than their legal name to identify themselves. If you use your legal name, or do not mind being called your legal name, you are not required to specify a chosen name.

You may delete or edit your chosen name using the process outlined above.

At this time, Harper College systems do not have a place to collect pronoun data. This is important to us, however, and we are continually working to improve our systems and procedures to ensure our campus is a safe, inclusive place for all.