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NACS > Email & UCInetIDs > UCInetID Change Policy

UCInetID Change: Policy and Procedure

Summary: If you want to change your assigned UCInetID, read the policy and procedure to request the change below.


How are UCInetIDs assigned?

Related Information

UCInetIDs are automatically assigned when you come to UCI as a new student, faculty or staff. If you are a student, this happens when you are admitted to UCI. If you are faculty or staff, it happens shortly after your department enters you into the UCI Payroll/Personnel System.

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 an ID 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 ID is automatically assigned in the order your records are received by NACS to make the complicated process of new user establishment easier and more problem-free, and to allow you prompt electronic access at UCI.

Alternate Email Address (My.Name@UCI.edu)

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

Can I change my UCInetID?

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

Valid requests include:

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?

It is discouraged due to the many problems it causes. Although email sent to your old UCInetID@UCI.EDU address can be forwarded for 30 days upon request, 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 ID 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 ID controlled by NACS will be updated over the course of several days, manual uses of IDs by instructional personnel may take longer to change.

I want to request a UCInetID change.

  1. Use the form to request a UCInetID change.
    This form will help you construct your request and will send it via email to the UCInet Postmaster.
  2. Your request will be reviewed by the Postmaster.
  3. You will be notified it is approved or not.
    If it can and a fee is required, you will be asked to bring $25 to NACS' help desk at Engineering Gateway E2130 .
  4. Once approved and any fees received, the Postmaster will be notified and the change request processed over the next two weeks.
  5. You will be notified by email when the change is initiated.
  6. You will need to re-activate your UCInetID, choosing a new password.
  7. If you have a NACS Mailbox account, you will need to start using the new ID 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 NACS Mailbox logins, you should continue to use your old ID until it is no longer accepted. At this time, the new ID and its password will gain you access to NACS Mailbox Services.

Please note that some departments create local computer accounts based on your UCInetID - if this is the case, you will need to inform them of the change.