Legal Name Changes

To change a student's legal name in their student record, they must present a government issued photo ID showing their new name to a Registrar’s Office staff member. If the student cannot present identification in person, they may sign the legal name change form in front of a public notary and email it to OfficeoftheRegistrar@umontana.edu using their UMConnect student email.

Chosen Names, Pronouns, and Gender Identities

For some students, a chosen name is an important component of their identity. Therefore, under the University’s name change policy, any student may opt to identify a chosen first and/or middle name even if they have not changed their legal name. A student’s chosen name will appear instead of their legal name in select University-related systems, as long as the chosen name is not being used for the purpose of misrepresentation.

Updates and Corrections to Personal Information

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) was enacted in 1974 to guarantee students the right to inspect and review their education records, the right to seek to amend education records, and the right to have some control over the disclosure of information from those education records.

Student Privacy (FERPA)

To edit other personal information on a student's record aside from a name change, a student may submit an Correction or Update to Personal Information form. The student must present a government-issued photo ID along with appropriate documentation to verify the requested change/correction. This form must either be signed in front of a Registrar's Office staff member or in front of a public notary.

Examples of appropriate documentation include but are not limited to: court order, social security card, certificate of naturalization, birth certificate, etc.

Solomon Amendment

Effective October 23, 1998, all Colleges and Universities are required to comply with the final regulations of the Solomon Amendment. Failure to comply may result in the loss of federal funding including various forms of federal student aid. The purpose of this document is to explain the procedures at the University of Montana regarding compliance with the Solomon Amendment.

The Solomon Amendment supercedes FERPA. Solomon is based on the definition of "Student Recruitment Information."