How to Change Personal and Emergency Contact Information & University Directory Preferences

There are several different types of personal data and contact information recorded to ensure timely and consistent communications to students and their preferred contacts.   

• Note that if a student does not wish for their information to appear in any University directories, they should consult the University Statement on Disclosure of Directory Information and submit a request to withhold directory information.  

My Addresses 

Students may have local, permanent, and or mailing addresses that differ from one another.  

Enter or update a permanent (i.e. home) address and address that can receive mail such as a P.O. Box, apartment, or home address. Offices across Yale, such as Yale Health, OISS, Student Accounts, or Student Employment may need to send mail to a physical address where mail can be received.  

Note that there is no direct delivery to Yale buildings such as residential colleges and other student housing. Do not list dorm rooms in this section. 

Once in the My Addresses page you can either edit existing information appearing in the address fields at the bottom of the screen or use the blue Add New button to add an address type (the address type options are explained in the notes at the top of the page). 

• Every student should have a billing, mailing, and permanent address on record – even if they are all the same address.  
• Existing address blocks can be edited by clicking the blue Edit button at the bottom of the address block.  
• If you need to add a different address type than what already appears click the blue Add New button.  
  • In the Address Maintenance window select the address type from the drop-down menu. 
    • If you aren’t sure what the address categories mean, refer to the note at the top of the My Addresses page. 
  • Enter the “Valid From” date.  
    • If moving to an off-campus location, or from one location off-campus to another, enter a date after the lease begins or the move-in date. 
  • The “Copy Address From” option allows you to populate the address fields from information already in another address block (for instance, if the Diploma Mailing Address will be the same as the Permanent Address.  
• After adding or editing address information, click the blue Save button in the Address Maintenance window. 

Email and Phone Numbers 

Use this section to provide and update your email, phone number, and the email addresses for your parents/guardians.  

Your email address (both @yale.edu and the personal one you provided when you applied to Yale) are not updateable here.  A personal, reliable phone number for you (typically a mobile phone with cellular service in the U.S.)  should be provided.  Parent/Guardian email(s) should be provided. 

• Note: Guardian/parent physical addresses and phone numbers are entered in the Update Emergency Contacts tool.   

Use the + Add New at the right of the screen to provide additional email addresses and personal phone numbers.  

Update Emergency Contacts 

• Under Emergency Contacts, review the existing information and either Edit or add New Contact information.   
• Add your own personal contact information in case we need to reach you in an emergency. 
  • In the Relationship field, select “Self.” Enter your name in the First Name and Last Name fields. 
  • In the Phone Type field, select “Cell.” Complete the Area and Phone Number fields without dashes or spaces. 
• Students should include contact information for at least one parent/guardian, grandparent, sibling, spouse, or other close friend or relative.  This information will only be used in an emergency and/or if you cannot be reached. 
• Add another “New Contact” to add contact information for any other preferred contact in the event of an emergency or if you cannot be reached; there is not a limit to the number of contacts who can be added. 
• Toward the bottom of the screen, use the drop-down menu to select the primary person who should be contacted in the event of an emergency. 
• Click “Submit Changes” at the bottom of the screen to save your information. 

Family Contact 

Use to add/edit the address and phone numbers for family contacts.  

• Note: Family contacts may differ from emergency contact designees. Including family contact here does not necessarily mean they will be contacted in case of emergency. 

Directory Listing 

Describes how you would like your information to appear in the University-wide Directory (https://directory.yale.edu/) but does not change information in other systems such as Canvas or directories produced by individual schools and departments.  

Students have a right (per FERPA) to request to withhold information from directories.   

Term Data Update 

Students are expected to review and update (if applicable) their student record data every term.  

If you have not yet designated an emergency contact, select Edit to insert contact information. 

After reviewing and making necessary corrections, click on the Certify and Continue button at the bottom of the page.  

More to Explore 

My Preferred Name 

Entering a preferred first name will change how your name appears in many Yale systems including class rosters. A preferred first name must be entered before requesting a new Yale email address. For more information, see Yale’s statement on Name Policy and Use. 

NameCoach 

Use NameCoach to provide a phonetic spelling and/or recording of the proper pronunciation of your name.  A speaker icon beside the NetID in the University Directory (https://directory.yale.edu/) indicates that a student has NameCoach information available.