A chosen name is a first, middle, and/or last name that is different from your legal name. A chosen name is one you wish to use during your employment or academic career at the University.

The chosen name request service is the method by which members of the campus community can request to use a chosen name on campus.

No, you do not have to request a chosen name. This service is for people who wish to be known by a name other than their legal name. 

Any student, faculty, or staff at any Montana State University campus.

People use a chosen name for any number of reasons. Here are some of the major ones:

  • They wish to be known by a nickname.
  • They use an abbreviated form of their first name.
  • They use their middle name in place of their first name.
  • They wish to use their former last name professionally.
  • They wish to use a pseudonym such as pen name or stage name (common in literature and the arts).
  • To adopt a local name (International students.)
  • To provide an added degree of safety for victims of physical, sexual, or other types of violence.
  • To align with an individual's gender, religious or other protected class identity.

You may request a chosen name using the chosen name request service which is available in MyInfo. 

Students should send questions to regsistrar@msun.edu.
Faculty and Staff should send questions to hr@msun.edu. 

Following a chosen name request, an individual's chosen name is entered into the Student  Information System (Banner). The individual's University email address will be updated  as part of the process. Once these updates are complete, their chosen name is displayed in the campus directory and in a wide variety of 3rd party systems such as DegreeWorks, D2L, Scholarships and many more.

Students, faculty, and staff may have their chosen name printed on their MSUN ID Card.  This is optional and replacement charges will apply.

An MSUN ID Card which displays a chosen name may no longer be used as a form of legal identification.

Students, faculty and staff members are free to determine the chosen name they wish to be known by in the University's information system. The University reserves the right to deny or remove any chosen name that disrupts the academic or work environment of the University.

Yes. There are many instances where legal name must continue to be used. While this is not an exhaustive list, below are a number of examples where legal name will continue to be used.

  • Degree Verification
  • Employment Verification
  • Enrollment Verification
  • Federal and State Agency Reporting
  • Financial Aid
  • Immigration Status Reporting
  • Official University Transcripts
  • Payroll
  • Student Information System
  • Tax Processing

This is a known issue and is caused by a syncing issue between Brightspace/D2L and Banner.  As your chosen name was processed a notification was automatically sent to the D2L Team prompting them to make the necessary changes. In most cases, the D2L Team will resolve this issue within a few hours from the time your chosen name was processed.  If this disruption lasts longer or if your access is time sensitive, please contact the D2L team by phone at 406-265-3701 before 5:00 PM.  If for some reason, this issue is not resolved prior to the close of business on the day that your chosen name was processed, it will automatically resolve itself overnight as Brightspace/D2L synchronizes with Banner.