Set up a Preferred First Name

Overview

The University of Alaska System (UA) recognizes that many members of its community use names other than their legal names to identify themselves. Students and employees may indicate their chosen/preferred first names to the university community even if they have not changed their legal names. This chosen/preferred name will appear instead of the person’s legal name in select university-related systems and documents, provided that the chosen/preferred first name is not being used for the purpose of misrepresentation. The official/legal name will continue to be used in all university-related systems and documents that require a verified legal name.

In this article:

What materials do I need?

  • UA username and current UA password.
    • If you forgot your UA username or password, please visit the ME.UAA account recovery website.
  • Internet access
  • Web browser (i.e. Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, etc)
  • Desktop or laptop computer

How do I use this technology?

  1. On a desktop or laptop computer with an internet connection, open your preferred web browser.
  2. Go to alaska.edu/uaonline.
  3. Inside the green UAA Students box, click the SIGN IN button.
    UAOnline Sign In Page with SIGN IN button highlighted inside the UAA Students green box
     
  4. Log in with your UA credentials.
    UA SSO sign-in page
     
  5. Once you're signed in to your Student Profile, click on the MENU button on the top-left corner of the page.
    Student Profile page with MENU button highlighted on the top-left corner
     
  6. Click on My Profile from the menu.
    MENU options with My Profile highlighted
     
  7. In the middle page, click on Personal Information.
    My Profile page with Personal Information highlighted in the middle of the page
     
  8. In the Personal Details section, click on Edit button on the top-right.
    Personal Information page with the Edit button highlighted near the top-right corner of the page under Personal Details section
     
  9. Enter your preferred first name in the Preferred First Name field.
    Edit Personal Details window with Preferred Name button highlighted
     
  10. Click Update below once you're finished.
  11. Wait up to 3 days for the primary services (UA AD, Google Workspace @ UA, Learning Management System) to be automatically updated with your preferred name.

Is there any additional information I should know about?

Use of Preferred Names

To see how your Preferred Name and Legal Name are used in UA systems and Official Records, please visit the following page: University of Alaska - Use of Preferred Names

If you wish to update your legal name, please contact the UAA Office of the Registrar for assistance, or visit the How do I Perform a Legal Name Change? knowledge article.

Need additional help or have issues

For UA login support, requests may be submitted anytime using the appropriate Support for UA Account form. Requests generate a Ticket which will be worked in order received and urgency by UAA Employees with the knowledge and permissions to assist with the request.

For immediate assistance please, review the Contact Us page for the appropriate support group.

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