A Complete Guide to USPS University Mail Requirements
Universities, like any large organizations or establishments, generate and receive an awful lot of mail. This is compounded by the large number of individuals taking up residence there. Between dormitories, fraternities, sororities, and other places where students stay, there are numerous locations that require hefty mail delivery. What are the requisites for this incredible endeavor? Here’s a complete guide to USPS university mail requirements.
For starters, the United States Postal Service has drafted, among many other rules and regulations, the exact mail-handling method for student housing and off-campus apartment communities. While it acknowledges that there are exceptions and that mail delivery can vary according to the type of housing in question, below are the basics.
Who Gets the Mail at Universities
University mail delivery isn’t like the mail delivery back home. The carrier doesn’t pull up or walk up, sort through the mail, and stick it in specific boxes.
Instead, per the regulations, the mail arrives in bulk at the address indicated on the respective envelopes. For instance, a carrier would drop off all the mail for Stevenson Towers dormitories at Northern Illinois University at a designated spot to the representative at the Stevenson Towers dorms. The postal service works with the university or whoever handles residences to determine who that individual or individuals may be and whether they are qualified to accept and distribute the mail.
Currently, the Postal Service states that it can deliver mail to “three distinct locations on the university or college campus.” Namely, these locations are the principal administration buildings, residence halls and dormitories, and housing units for married students. Most places like these have mail rooms or similar sorting areas where people from the university can divvy up the mail and deliver it to the students.
How the USPS Defines Student Housing
Dormitories, residence halls, and similar student housing are different from typical apartment complexes, condominiums, or similar outside residences—physically and in terms of the purpose they serve. The USPS defines them as “a building that consists of single- or multi-room units that may share or have access to centrally located kitchens, bathrooms, showers, or social or common areas.”
These buildings may be on or off campus and even owned by private companies or individuals, but the USPS still defines them as dormitories or residence halls. Therefore, the owner or institution of the building is in charge of accepting and delivering mail to the students’ boxes or other receptacles. Again, no USPS carrier enters the building and places the mail into individual boxes.
General Rules for University Mail Delivery
The USPS has rules on what it can and cannot deliver to universities, as it does with any mail. It cannot deliver and will return to the sender badly addressed or defaced letters and packages on which the address is unclear. Sometimes, however, if a specific building isn’t indicated in the address, the carrier will send it to a main or central location on campus—say, the administration building. Interestingly, the bigger the institution, the more likely the USPS will be amenable to delivering mail directly to specific departments, particularly if the university has its own administration buildings and offices. Regardless, for student residences and dormitories, the bulk delivery rule still applies.
What Makes University Mail Delivery Unique
You might wonder why the USPS can’t deliver mail to universities exactly like it would to similar multi-unit housing communities—namely, apartment complexes. While student residences and apartment buildings may seem similar, when it comes to mail delivery, they are not.
Mail Delivery to Apartment Buildings
Apartment complex owners must provide receptacles for tenants to receive their mail. Cluster mailboxes and similar traditional community mailboxes must be USPS-approved, providing residents with compartments and parcel lockers that are easily accessible to both carriers and tenants. The carrier must be able to reach the boxes and insert the individual pieces of mail, whether in a vehicle or on foot. Tenants must also be able to reach their mail in any weather and not need to go out of their way to access it. That said, what makes dorms so special?
Mail Delivery to Student Housing
The truth is that delivering individual mail to student dormitory mailboxes is difficult. While an outdoor mailbox cluster allows a carrier to swiftly drop off mail for dozens of individuals at once, dormitories, by their nature, are much more complex.
So Many People
For one, you may have hundreds of students in a residence hall, so an outdoor mailbox with individual compartments would be labor intensive for everyone involved. If each student received one package and one letter a day, the distribution would take far too long.
Security Considerations
Security is another consideration, especially nowadays. It wouldn’t do for a carrier to enter a dormitory, creating the possibility for an unauthorized outsider to enter and cause issues. By bundling mail and dropping it off at a single secured location, the USPS minimizes safety risks.
Getting Mail on Breaks
Of course, most students don’t live on campus year-round. Should a student receive a piece of mail over an official break or should the student move, the university, institution, or building owner is responsible for forwarding it. The USPS is available to explain the procedures for returning and forwarding mail in such circumstances.
University Mail Rooms vs. USPS Offices
While universities may have procedures and rules in place about the collection and distribution of mail, they likely don’t offer the services of a post office. Situations vary, but while some may have mail rooms that aid in gathering and handing out mail, tracking deliveries, and so forth, they may not necessarily do the following:
- Sell postage stamps
- Provide packing materials
- Package and ship items
- Accept mail for delivery
However, university mail rooms should have a mailbox or similar receptacle close by for sending mail. Otherwise, the dormitory’s mail distributor is not an agent of the USPS. If a student has any official mailing needs, on or off campus, they should visit their local USPS office. The officials at the dorm should be able to direct students there.
That was a complete guide to USPS university mail requirements. For more information, consult the United States Postal Service website, or contact us for a consultation about community mailboxes and any other needs.
