Policy on Incoming Mail for Students

The address for student mail is:

FULL NAME
300 N College Street
Northfield, MN 55057
  • Note that no box or room number is required.
  • Each student on campus is issued a new mailbox each term. Lists of box numbers are posted outside of Mail Services.
  • As mailboxes do not lock, keep mail box doors closed to prevent mail from falling through and landing on the lobby floor. Boxes fill up quickly for subscribers of newspapers and magazines. If a mailbox is full, only current newspapers, and magazines will be retained. Prior issues will be recycled.
  • Parcels for students are processed as they arrive to campus. Note this may be after a delivery notification has arrived from the shipping company. Email notifications will be sent to the student’s carleton.edu email address when a parcel is ready for pickup. A reminder notification will be sent one week later. After 3 weeks parcels will be considered abandoned and forwarded, returned to sender, or disposed of.
  • Photo identification is required for parcel pickup. OneCard is preferred, but not the only acceptable method (Passport, Drivers License, or other official State photo ID).
  • Should you wish someone else to pick up your parcel, use the 3rd Party Pick-up form.
  • Mail Services staff will attempt to identify mail or parcels with incorrect or incomplete names and addresses, but delivery may be delayed. Attempts to identify mail or parcels may include opening, however any contents of opened mail or parcels will be kept in strict confidentiality. If it is not possible to identify the intended recipient, the parcel will be kept for 3 weeks. After that time unclaimed or unidentifiable items will then be returned to the sender, or discarded if returning is not possible. (Note that the 3 week period begins at the start of term.)
  • Repeated failure to properly address mail will lead to packages being returned to sender, or discarded if returning is not possible.
  • We make every attempt to process packages the day they are received. If you do not receive a notification by the end of the next day after it was to arrive, please let us know. If you have a tracking number, please check that first, then include it when notifying us.
  • Mail During Breaks and after graduation:
    • Students who will be living in Northfield during winter or summer break may continue to receive mail through their original mail box if they have signed up for a break mail box. Sign up here.
    • During Summer and Winter Breaks we forward mail home for students until about two weeks before the next term starts. Parcel notifications will be sent as normal, and should you wish Mail Services to do something other than hold the parcel until the following term, please contact us (x4151, mailservices@carleton.edu) to discuss options.
    • During Spring Break mail will be placed in Spring Term boxes to await return to campus. Mail for students not on campus for Spring Term will be forwarded to their home address on file.
    • Near the end of break, all student mail boxes will be re-assigned for the following term. Mail will be transferred to your new mail box at that time. New mail box lists will be posted in the lobby.
    • Mail Services will forward the qualifying mail of recent graduates until December 31st of the year of graduation. After that, mail will be returned to the sender if possible. Packages that arrive through UPS or FedEx are subject to our 3 week package hold policy. Only Ground Advantage or Priority USPS mail can be forwarded. Other USPS services, UPS, and FedEx packages will be shipped upon request, but the student will be responsible for all associated costs.
    • Note that mail can only be forwarded to domestic addresses. Mail for students with non-US addresses will be held until the following term, or returned to the sender if the student is not returning to campus.
    • To update your address on file with the college, use the Alumni Address Update Form.
  • Note regarding items requiring refrigeration or freezing: Mail Services does not have a refrigerator or freezer. If you are expecting or sending an item which requires cooling (cake, medicine, etc.) please check regularly, notify the receiver, or make us aware beforehand so your items do not spoil. It is not the responsibility of the Mail Services if your item spoils because it has not been picked up in a timely manner.
  • Perishable packages will only be held for one week. After 7 days, or if visibly spoiling, perishable packages will be discarded.
  • Carleton College cannot assume responsibility for items lost, stolen or, damaged during shipment. Issues arising with items after receipt by Mail Services will be handled on a case by case basis. Please contact mailservices@carleton.edu with questions.