In Indiana, you have the right to change your name legally if you:
That’s it. As long as you are not trying to defraud anyone, particularly creditors, you are eligible to change your name. Our legal interns can help with this process. Contact Student Legal Services to schedule an appointment.
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In order to legally change your name, you must fill out a Notice of Petition for Change of Name and file it with the Monroe County Clerk of Court. The clerk will process the form, stamp it with a filing date, and return it to you.
You will then need to take this petition and file a notice of intent to change your name with the local newspaper. This notice must be published in the newspaper once a week for three weeks, with the last publication at least 30 days before the hearing.
The petition will then be set for hearing. A judge, after verifying that you are eligible for a name change, will enter the order to officially change your name.
The next steps are contacting the Social Security Administration, updating any government-issued IDs, and contacting your health care providers, financial institutions, and Indiana University regarding your name change.
At Indiana University, you can apply to use a preferred name, rather than your legal name, on your school identification card.
Your legal name must be used for your official academic record, grade rosters, and transcripts, but your preferred name can be used for class grade recording and for your school ID.
