Preferred First Name Policy

1. According to the Preferred First Name Policy any Ferris State University community member may choose to identify themselves within the University with a Preferred First Name (PFN) that differs from their legal name.

2. A preferred name will appear instead of the person’s legal name in University systems and documents (i.e. class roster, University ID, diploma name) except where the use of the legal name is required by a University policy, business or legal need (i.e. financial aid records, transcripts, health records, IRS forms, W-2, I-9, social security forms).

3. The use of a preferred first name cannot be for the purpose of misrepresentation or fraud and any preferred name reasoned to be an attempt at misrepresentation, fraud or interpreted as offensive will be removed.

A student who wishes to designate a PFN must read, complete and submit the Preferred First Name request form, that can be found in MyFSU under MyRecords.

Please review our Preferred First Name FAQ's for guidance on some of the most common questions related to this policy.