Changing a UCInetID


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Why is changing your UCInetID discouraged?

Changing your UCInetID will lead to a temporary disruption to your email and access to systems for an indeterminate amount of time that could last for days. UCI Health staff & faculty especially are strongly discouraged from changing their IDs because of the potential interruption to your access to EPIC and other vital hospital applications. Please discuss with your departmental computing supporter before making a change. HS users should email accessprovisioning@hs.uci.edu first to fully understand the impact this will cause. Unfortunately, there's no way for them or OIT to expedite the change and minimize the disruption. If you still want to change your UCInetID, please read on.

You must inform everyone you communicate with 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. For example, it can be difficult to manually migrate data between accounts. If you are using accounts that are security-related, contact your department's IT Security group. 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.

How are UCInetIDs assigned?

UCInetIDs are automatically assigned when you arrive at UCI as a student applicant, faculty, or staff member.

If you would like to request a change of your assigned UCInetID, please find the appropriate circumstance to request a change below.

UCInetIDs are "name-based", which means they are created using your first name, last name, and (sometimes) middle initial. The following are examples of some of the possible name-based UCInetIDs that might be selected for Quinn R. Smith.  Other name-based permutations may also be used.

  1. First-Initial, Last-name (qsmith )
  2. Last-name, First-initial, Middle-initial (smithqr)
  3. First-Initial, Last-name, Number (qsmith1, qsmith2, 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.

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? Policy and Procedure

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:

Applicants

Student Applicants may change their UCInetID once they become an enrolled student per the information above.

Requesting Forwarding of your old UCInetID@uci.edu email

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

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.

Request a UCInetID Change

  1. Fill out the UCInetID Change Request Form (login required). 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.
    • NOTE: We cannot approve a UCInetID change request to just your first name or last name. Because our system limits UCInetIDs to just 8 characters, please choose an alternative UCInetID that contains some combination of your first, middle, and last name. You can also include a number if you'd like.
  3. You will be notified whether it is approved or not.
  4. Once approved, the Postmaster will be notified and the change request will be processed within 2-3 business days.
  5. You will be notified by email when the change is initiated.
  6. You will need to activate your new UCInetID, choosing a new password.