Student Mail Policies and Practices

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Unit Number Assignment Policy 

  1. Resident Students: All Babson College undergraduate, graduate students, and visiting students residing on campus qualify to have mail and packages sent to their Reynolds Campus Student Mail and Package Center campus UNIT number, which is a student’s virtual mailbox number. All qualified new students living on campus are assigned a virtual mailbox-unit number prior to the start of classes. The UNIT number remains the same for a student’s tenure at Babson College.
  2. Commuter Students: Students electing to live off-campus after their first year (Commuter Students) do not qualify to retain the continued use of the Reynolds Campus Center Student Mail and Package Center. However, students may submit a request to the Student Mail and Package Center coordinator asking for the privilege to retain their mailbox-unit number. Under certain circumstances, the coordinator will grant students permission to retain their mailbox-unit number. The coordinator has the option to rescind this privilege if mail and packages are not picked up in a timely fashion.
  3. Exchange and Transfer Students: Exchange and Transfer students living on campus will be issued a mailbox-unit number upon arrival. Exchange students are especially encouraged to set up “paperless” accounts to avoid future issues. 

Package and USPS Mail Pickup Policies 

  1. Packages: Students are responsible to pick up their packages within one month (30 days) from the date of notification that the college has received a package in their name. Students are notified via email that the college has received a package in their name. Extensions can be granted under certain circumstances. A request for an extension must be made via email to the Coordinator of the Student Mail and Package Center. All packages that have not been retrieved within one month (30 days) from the initial notification of receipt may be RETURNED TO THE SENDER.
  2. USPS Letter/Flat Mail: Students are responsible to pick up their letters/flats within one month (30 days) from the date of notification that the college has received a letter/flat in their name. Students are notified via email that the college has received a USPS letter/flat in their name. Extensions can be granted under certain circumstances. A request for an extension must be made via email to the Coordinator of the Student Mail and Package Center. All letters/flats that have not been retrieved within one month (30 days) from the initial notification of receipt may be RETURNED TO THE SENDER. Interoffice mail will be returned to the sender after one month (30 days).
  3. Refrigerated food: The Student Mail and Package Center is not responsible for incoming packages requiring refrigeration. Perishable food packages must be picked up by the end of the day following receipt notification or the package will be disposed of.
  4. Refrigerated medicine: Students who will be receiving medicine that requires refrigeration are required to contact the Mail and Package Center in advance to arrange for pickup. Please pick it up the day it arrives. The Babson Public Safety Office may be contacted at 781-239-5555 regarding emergency after-hours access. 

Forwarding policies 

1. Recent Graduates Forwarding Policy 

  • Packages (USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, others): Packages cannot be forwarded or forwarded for a fee. Please update your shipping address with your online retailers. All packages will be either REFUSED OR RETURNED TO THE SENDER.
  • Letter Mail – United States Post Office: Graduating students will have their “forwardable USPS mail” forwarded to a domestic address for three months (until August 15) following their departure from Babson College. Students are responsible to update their forwarding address online by entering their new address on the Babson Hub. Note: Mail will not be forwarded to international addresses. Students who do not provide a forwarding address will have their mail forwarded to their home address. The list below clarifies what mail is and is not forwardable.
    • First Class Mail
      • Domestic addresses: Mail will be forwarded to the address on record.
      • International addresses: Mail is NOT forwarded to international addresses.
    • Nonprofit Mail
      • Mail is NOT forwarded and returned to the sender stating that you are no longer enrolled.
    • Standard Mail – Magazines, Newspapers, Catalogs, flyers, etc.
      • Standard Mail can NOT be forwarded or returned to the sender. Standard mail will be recycled. 

2. Student Studying Abroad/Away Policy 

  • Mail will be forwarded to the domestic forwarding/home addresses on record
  • Packages will be returned to the sender.
  • Mail and packages will not be forwarded to international addresses. 

 International students may consider having their mail sent to a friend or a family member's domestic forwarding address. If no domestic forwarding address is available, First Class and nonprofit mail will be held in mail services until the student’s return to Babson. 

“Going paperless” with your business partners - such as banks - resolves much of this issue. 

3. Students on Leave of Absence or Withdrawn Policy 

Students are requested to pick up their mail before they leave, and to update their forwarding address. Any packages still on hand or received will be either refused or returned to the sender. Students “forwardable USPS mail” will be forwarded to their home address for three months following their departure from Babson. 

End-of-semester Policies 

Students are required to retrieve all mail and packages that are in the Babson Mail and Package Center by the end of each semester. Student Mail Services retains the option to return to the sender all mail and packages left in the Student Mail Center after the end of Fall and Spring semester, with the exception of students participating in Summer School and/or working and living on campus. 

Winter Break: Students are asked not to have any packages shipped to Babson during winter break until they return to campus for the start of the spring semester. U.S. Mail will be received and held during the break. Students are asked to pick up mail upon their return to campus. 

Summer Break/Summer School: Mail and Package Service will be provided to: 
Summer School Students 
Students working and living on campus 

Students are asked to pick up all their mail and packages upon the end of their summer stay on campus. All other student mail will be forwarded their new incoming mail, if possible, throughout the summer up until August 10. Upon your return to campus, please pick up all mail that was not forwarded over the summer or has just recently arrived. 

Bulk Mailings 

Babson College mailings: All proposed College or College partners’ bulk mail distributions need to receive prior approval by the Student Mail and Package Center supervisor. 

External commercial mailings: The Student Mail and Package Center does not accept commercial mailings for distribution. 

Sustainability Policy 

Students are encouraged to “go paperless” whenever possible to support the college’s solid waste goals and for these additional reasons: 

  • 24/7 access, and while on winter and summer breaks
  • Security reasons, reduce name and account theft opportunities from discarded paper documents
  • Environmental and sustainability reasons – reduce solid waste and the energy footprint
  • No need to retrieve mail from the Mail and Package Center
  • Opportunity to save and monthly statement fees
  • Mail is not forwarded to international addresses 

Student Mail & Package Center