Name changes

The University only allows one certificate and transcript per award to be in circulation at any one time and these should bear your current legal name that appears on your official ID. Once you have completed your course it is not possible to retrospectively change the name held on record except in certain circumstances.

The certificate and transcript issued by the University are proof of conferment of an award. It is a unique and important document that should be retained by its recipient. Reprints, whilst having precisely the same standing as originals, are produced in the format currently in use. The University’s change of name in 2007 means that all certificates previously issued will bear the name “Birmingham City University”.

Name changes and reprinting of documents are dependent on the circumstances of your request. Reprints can only be issued after your original award documents have been destroyed or made no longer useable and evidence is provided (where possible). Therefore, when requesting reprints, do not throw away your documents until advised by us to do so.

If you require a reprint and it is not related to changing your name, please visit our award document reprints page.

There is a total charge of £30 (£20 for certificates and £10 for transcripts to include postage and packaging) to reprint award documents. To conform to the UK data protection legislation, a reprint request can only come from the award holder and requires a valid form of identification to support the change, e.g., valid passport, birth certificate, change of name deed.

Reprints under the following categories are chargeable:

• You have damaged or lost your award documents. Please refer to our replacement certificate page and replacement transcript page for more information on the process.
• You require your name on your document to be changed due to changing the order of your name to conform to cultural conventions.

Reprints under the following categories are provided free of charge:

• Your original copies were damaged during delivery.
• You never received your documents/ lost during delivery.
• You have spotted an error in your name or award details.
• You are undergoing or have completed a gender reassignment and changed your name.

Reprint requests which fall outside of the above categories will be denied, including but not limited to:

• Changing to your maiden/married name.
• Updating your name if this has not been changed legally.

Name changes requests should be sent to certificates@bcu.ac.uk and should include which of the above categories your request falls under. Please note, if you are requesting reprints due to your award/course details being incorrect, it may take longer to complete your application, as we will also need to liaise with your Faculty Student Centre for your details to be corrected.

In all circumstances before a reprint request can be completed, evidence of your certificate and transcript being destroyed must be sighted. Where a reprint is chargeable, payments are to be made via our online store via debit or credit card.

We aim to process all requests within 10 working days. Once posted, please allow 10 working days for it to reach a UK address and 28 working days for an address outside the UK. Where name or award details are required to be updated, graduates should be aware that for a brief time you will not be able to access your digital certificate until this is complete.

You will receive a confirmation of postage email once your document(s) have been sent out.