UCInetID Change: Policy and Procedure

UCInetIDs are "name-based", which means they are created using your official first name, last name and (sometimes) middle initial. For each new member of UCI, each of the following is tried in turn until a UCInetID is found that is not yet in use at UCI:

For Quinn R. Smith:

1. First-Initial, Last-name (qsmith )
2. Last-name, First-Initial (smithq)
3. First-Initial, Middle-Initial, Last-name (qrsmith)
4. Last-name, First-initial, Middle-initial (smithqr)
5. First-Initial, Last-name, Number (qsmith1, qsmith2, qsmith3, etc.)

You can't choose your own UCInetID. Your UCInetID is automatically assigned in the order your records are received by OIT to make the complicated process of new user establishment easier and more problem-free, and to allow you prompt electronic access at UCI.

If you are a faculty, staff or graduate student, you can choose an alternate e-mail address based on your full name. This My.Name@UCI.edu address can be published on business cards, stationery and the campus directory. Any e-mail sent to your My.Name@UCI.edu e-mail address will be delivered to the same e-mail account you already use.

• Choose a My.Name@UCI.edu address.

In some circumstances, you may request that your UCInetID be changed to a different, name-based, ID. In these cases, OIT will bear the cost of processing the change.

Valid requests include:

• legal name changes
• to correct spelling errors
• first-time requests from faculty, staff and graduate students
• special circumstances

Undergraduate Students:

If you are an undergraduate student not covered by the circumstances above, but you would like to change your UCInetID, you may still request a change to a new name-based ID. If approved, there will be a $25 fee. This fee will also apply to faculty, staff or graduate students who have had their UCInetIDs changed before.

Why is changing UCInetIDs discouraged?

You must inform everyone you communicate with of your new address.

If you are on a mailing list, you must send a request to the manager of each list to change your address. In addition, your UCInetID is used for a variety of purposes in campus departments and making the change will likely cause an amount of confusion. Please discuss with your departmental computing supporter as necessary.

If you are a student, your address is automatically placed on course mailing lists and distributed to faculty for their own use. Automatic uses of your UCInetID controlled by OIT will be updated over the course of several days, manual uses of IDs by instructional personnel may take longer to change.

Upon request, we will forward email sent to your old UCInetID@uci.edu to your new UCInetID@uci.edu address for up to one year.

1. Fill out the UCInetID Change Request Form (login required).
   This form will help you construct your request and will send it via e-mail to the UCInet Postmaster.
2. Your request will be reviewed by the Postmaster.
3. You will be notified it is approved or not.
   If your UCInetID can be changed and a fee is required, you will be asked to bring $25 to OIT Help Desk walk-in office in 115 Aldrich Hall (Building 111 - D5 on the campus map).
4. Once approved and any fees received, the Postmaster will be notified and the change request will be processed over the next two weeks.
5. You will be notified by e-mail when the change is initiated.
6. You will need to activate your new UCInetID, choosing a new password.
7. If you have a OIT Mailbox account, you will need to start using the new UCInetID to login within a few days of the Postmaster notification.
   Since it is difficult to notify you of an exact time of change-over for OIT Mailbox logins, you should continue to use your old UCInetID until it is no longer accepted. At this time, the new UCInetID and its password will gain you access to OIT Mailbox Services.

Please note: Some departments create local computer accounts based on your UCInetID . If this is the case, you will need to inform them of the change.