Mail to On-Grounds Housing
Move-Out 2024
The last day for regular mail delivery is Friday, May 10, 2024.
- Friday, May 10: All mailrooms will be open from 3-5 p.m.
- Monday, May 13-Friday, May 17: For students who remain in on-Grounds housing, mail will be available at the Cauthen mailroom. Hours at Cauthen will be Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
For students who have moved out of on-Grounds housing, mail that can be forwarded will be sent to the student's home address on record. Mail can only be forwarded for 6 months (after that time, all mail will be returned to the sender). Mail that cannot be forwarded, regardless of timing (FedEx, UPS, DHL), will be returned to the sender. Magazines, newspapers, and packages delivered by carriers other than the United States Postal Service (USPS) will not be forwarded.
Please note that all on-Grounds mailrooms are closed on weekends and University holidays.
If you live on the Lawn or Range, please contact the U.S. Postal Service to request a change of address.
Spring 2024 mailroom hours
- Bond and Lambeth:
- Monday-Friday, 4-7 p.m.
- Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
- Page:
- Monday-Friday, 4-8 p.m.
- Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
- Runk:
- Monday-Friday, 4-7 p.m.
- Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
- Shannon:
- Monday-Friday, 4-8 p.m.
- Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
- Cauthen (oversize package pick-up):
- Monday-Friday, 2-5 p.m.
- Mailrooms are closed on Saturdays.
- Please see your housing area page for information on the mailroom serving your housing.
Services
Housing & Residence Life provides mail services to the majority of on-Grounds undergraduate residents through mailrooms in several locations. Mail information for individual housing areas is available on that area’s webpage.
The mailrooms deliver mail to most residential areas and provide a mail and package pick-up point for items sent through UPS, DHL, FedEx, Priority Mail, Express Mail, and other "accountable mail" (certified and insured) services.
Please be aware that even if the shipping status on a package is listed as "delivered," packages are not available for pick up until they have been routed to the appropriate mailroom. This may take up to one additional business day. Please wait until you have received email notification from Housing & Residence Life to pick up packages.
Mail FAQs
Please see below for some of the most commonly asked questions about on-Grounds mail. If your question is not answered below, please contact housingmail@virginia.edu.
Residents in Brown College should contact University Mail Services with questions regarding mail. Lawn residents and those in Graduate or Faculty & Staff Housing should contact the US Postal Service.
I have questions about receiving my mail on Grounds (Student FAQ)
When will mail and packages be received by the mailrooms?
U.S. mail is picked up at the Charlottesville post office by HRL mailroom staff at 7:30 a.m. on weekdays (daily, Monday through Friday).
Special carriers such as UPS, DHL, Amazon, and FedEx deliver packages to our main mailroom between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. each weekday. All mail and packages are sorted and posted as soon as possible. You will receive an email notification when we have received a package for you.
The Post Office says my mail has arrived, but I haven't gotten an email from the mailroom yet.
The USPS considers your mail to have arrived when it is at the main post office in Charlottesville. However, your mail still needs to be sorted for HRL mailroom staff to pick up.
We cannot control how long it takes USPS staff to sort your mail/package at the Charlottesville post office, and we can only pick up the mail and packages that the post office have sorted for us. We pick up U.S. mail at 7:30 a.m. on weekdays (Monday-Friday).
Amazon says my package was delivered, but I haven't gotten an email from the mailroom yet.
Amazon delivers packages between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday-Friday. Any packages delivered outside of this timeframe will be processed by the mailroom the following business day.
Can a friend pick up my mail?
Yes! You will need to send an email to housingmail@virginia.edu before 5 p.m. (Monday-Friday) that includes:
- the first and last name of the student picking up mail for you
- the name of the mailroom where you get your mail
Be sure to copy your friend on your email so that they can show it to the mailroom staff if needed.
What types of mail can be sent to on-Grounds addresses?
Housing & Residence Life mailrooms accept items sent through the U.S. Postal Service (including Priority Mail, Express Mail, registered, certified, and insured mail) and other carriers such as UPS, DHL, and FedEx.
We are not able to receive postage due or COD mail. If mail requiring payment for release arrives at the Charlottesville post office, the USPS staff provides a notice, which we pass along to the recipient. These items must be picked up at the U.S. Post Office.
We ask senders not to send cash to on-Grounds residents by mail. All important mail items and documents should be insured so that a tracking number is available in the event of a problem.
How can I have foodstuffs delivered to me?
Perishable items that are arriving via a carrier (UPS, USPS, FedEx, etc.) can be addressed the same way that you would for any other package. You can use the Mailing Address Finder to locate your address.
Please note that grocery/fresh food orders -- such as Instacart, Amazon Fresh, DoorDash, UberEats, Walmart Delivery, Shipt, etc. -- are delivered directly to you and do NOT go through your on-Grounds mailroom. When ordering from these vendors, please be sure to add delivery instructions to have the order delivered directly to your assigned housing, including that location in the instructions.
How do I address mail on-Grounds?
You can use our Mailing Address Finder to find the correct address both for USPS mail and for packages sent via other carriers.
Please note that grocery/fresh food orders from Instacart, Amazon Fresh, DoorDash, UberEats, Walmart Delivery, Shipt, etc. are delivered directly to you. When ordering from these vendors, please be sure to add delivery instructions to have the order delivered directly to your assigned housing, including that location in the instructions.
What should I do if the form I'm completing won't accept the address on the Address Finder?
The address you found on the Mailing Address Finder is the official, valid address given to us by the United States Postal Service and should be accepted by all carriers.
If your carrier of choice does not accept the address, you may try the following:
- adding "c/o University of Virginia" to the second line of the address
- for Lambeth Apartments, using "Lambeth Field"
- adding "House" after the residence hall name (for example, "Gibbons House" instead of "Gibbons")
Many shippers online will have an option that allows you to use the address as you entered it, and you may want to select that.
Don't do any of the following:
- add the words Street, Lane, Road, Drive, Avenue, Circle, etc.
- use the GPS street address for the residence hall (this will delay delivery)
- add any other street name such as Alderman Road, McCormick Road, Faulkner Drive
Do the Housing & Residence Life mailrooms handle outgoing mail?
The mailrooms are not able to collect outgoing mail from residents, but blue US Postal Service collection boxes for outgoing letters are located throughout Grounds.
Packages need to be taken to a U.S. Post Office on or near Grounds. Locations include:
- Newcomb Hall
- UVA Bookstore
- Barracks Road Shopping Center
- Downtown Mall
- Route 29 North
Will my mail be forwarded after I leave on-Grounds housing?
First-class mail will be forwarded for six months. First-class mail does not include magazines, newspapers, and packages delivered by carriers other than the U.S. Postal Service. After six months, all mail will be returned to the sender.
In order for the correct forwarding to happen, please make sure your mailing address in SIS is up to date.
I have questions about sending mail to my student (Parent FAQ)
How do I address mail to an on-Grounds resident?
You can use our Mailing Address Finder to find the correct address both for USPS mail and for packages sent via other carriers.
Please note that grocery/fresh food orders from Instacart, Amazon Fresh, DoorDash, UberEats, Walmart Delivery, Shipt, etc. are delivered directly to your student and do not go through their on-Grounds mailroom. When ordering from these vendors, please be sure to add delivery instructions to have the order delivered directly to the student's assigned housing, including that location in the instructions.
What should I do if the form I'm completing won't accept the address on the Address Finder?
The address you found on the Mailing Address Finder is the official, valid address given to us by the United States Postal Service and should be accepted by all carriers.
If your carrier of choice does not accept the address, you may try the following:
- adding "c/o University of Virginia" to the second line of the address
- for Lambeth Apartments, using "Lambeth Field"
- adding "House" after the residence hall name (for example, "Gibbons House" instead of "Gibbons")
Many shippers online will have an option that allows you to use the address as you entered it, and you may want to select that.
Don't do any of the following:
- add the words Street, Lane, Road, Drive, Avenue, Circle, etc.
- use the GPS street address for the residence hall (this will delay delivery)
- add any other street name such as Alderman Road, McCormick Road, Faulkner Drive
What types of mail can I send to my student on Grounds?
Housing & Residence Life mailrooms accept items sent through the U.S. Postal Service (including Priority Mail, Express Mail, registered, certified, and insured mail) and other carriers such as UPS, DHL, and FedEx.
We are not able to receive postage due or COD mail. If mail requiring payment for release arrives at the Charlottesville post office, the USPS staff provides a notice, which we pass along to the recipient. These items must be picked up at the U.S. Post Office.
We ask senders not to send cash to on-Grounds residents by mail. All important mail items and documents should be insured so that a tracking number is available in the event of a problem.
How can I have flowers, foodstuffs, or other perishable items delivered to my student?
Perishable items that are arriving via a carrier (UPS, USPS, FedEx, etc.) can be addressed the same way that you would for any other package. You can use the Mailing Address Finder to locate a student's address.
Please note that grocery/fresh food orders -- such as Instacart, Amazon Fresh, DoorDash, UberEats, Walmart Delivery, Shipt, etc. -- are delivered directly to the student and NOT through their on-Grounds mailroom. When ordering from these vendors, please be sure to add delivery instructions to have the order delivered directly to the student's assigned housing, including that location in the instructions.
When will my mail and/or package be received by my student's mailroom?
U.S. mail is picked up at the Charlottesville post office by HRL mailroom staff at 7:30 a.m. on weekdays (daily, Monday through Friday).
Special carriers such as UPS, DHL, Amazon, and FedEx deliver packages to our main mailroom between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. each weekday. All mail and packages are sorted and posted as soon as possible. Your student will receive an email notification when we have received a package for them.
Amazon says my student's package was delivered, but they haven't gotten an email yet.
Amazon delivers packages between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday-Friday. Any packages delivered outside of this timeframe will be processed by the mailroom the following business day.