Personal Information

The Student Information System contains many biographical and academic data items for each student, most of which are subject to change or are of a cumulative nature. The assistance of students in assuring the accuracy of these items is important. A biographical information form is issued to students each summer for confirmation of the information reflected in our system. Please check this information carefully to assure the accuracy of the information. If during the academic year, the information should change, please notify the registrar's office, Room 312, University Hall

Name Changes

At Brown University, the name reflected on the record of a student must agree with official documents provided previously to the admissions office. Official documents are in the form of a birth certificate, passport, or court order.

The name of a student for the University record includes the family name and all given names. Nicknames are not used for academic record purposes. Brown University does not record name changes for students who are not currently enrolled. Name changes for currently enrolled students are recorded only when there is evidence of a court order or similar legal basis for change. Changes that do not alter the legal name such as the contraction of the first name by the use of an initial rather than the full name or the use of the full middle name rather than an initial are permissible.

All records held by the University reflect the student's name at the time of the making of the record. Once the student graduates or otherwise leaves the campus, the student's file is closed and, for protection and security, backed-up and/or archived.

University records are historical documents and are not altered retrospectively.

Biographical & Address Information

With the two exceptions noted below, the registrar's office is responsible for maintaining biographical and address information. Each summer, a confirmation of biographical information, including address information, is sent to students. Changes to biographical and address information, both in response to the confirmation notice and at other times, may be made in the Office of the Registrar, Room 312, University Hall.

The two exceptions are: (1) if a student's billing address is different from the home address, a change to the billing address should be made at the Office of the Bursar, 2nd Floor, Brown Office Building; (2) for undergraduates, changes to local address should be made at the Office of Residential Life, Wayland Arch.

Nota Bene: Tampering with an official university document is a serious violation of the academic code, and penalties for such violations are severe. Cases of suspected alteration or falsification of registration documents are referred to the academic code committee for investigation. Each student is solely responsible for his or her own schedule of courses. The registrar will not permit one student to submit registration forms for another student.