General Information

Mail Services handles all incoming mail for the University of California, Santa Barbara, including business, residential students residing in Santa Catalina and faculty/staff mail.

Mail is received Monday through Friday from the U.S. Postal Service early in the morning Incoming mail is sorted by type; first class mail receives first priority, then periodicals and standard mail.

Mail Services is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

You will share a mailbox with another resident, not necessarily your roommate. Your mailing address is on the enclosed Assignment Notification. Mail will only be delivered to your mailbox number, not to your residence hall room. More information is available on their website at http://www.mailservices.ucsb.edu . Direct questions regarding Mail Services to: scmail@ucsb.edu or phone (805) 893-5778.

Student Mail Delivery

All postal service student mail is received Monday-Friday mornings in the main campus mail facility in Building 507 on Mesa Road. The mail is delivered to Santa Catalina in the afternoons from 1:15pm-4:00pm for distribution to student mailboxes.

There is no Saturday delivery.

Most of the mail is delivered and placed in the boxes by 2:30pm. Please allow staff to complete their deliveries to all boxes before asking if you have mail.

If you received an oversized mail piece, a notice will be left in your mail box. All oversized mail pieces will either be located within one of the two larger keyed boxes within each mail box section or picked up from UCSB Mail Truck located at the North Tower mail boxes next to the parking lot.

If the incoming mail requires a signature (Express, Registered, Certified, Global Express, Insured, Delivery or Signature Confirmation) a yellow card will be placed in the mailbox and an e-mail sent notifying residents to pick up their package at the UCSB Mail truck parked at the north tower mailboxes from 1:15pm-4:00pm

If you cannot pick-up your package at the above time, please review your options below.

1. Pick up can be made at the Campus Mail Services facility (by arrangement) between 7:30am – 5:00 pm. (Located in Building 507 on Mesa Rd; grid A-1 on campus map)

2. You may designate someone to pick up your package. A print out of the email notification sent to you is required. Include the below message with your signature authorizing the pick-up of your USPS package. Please note an I.D. is required from your designee.

“I authorize [designee’s name] to pick-up my U.S.P.S. package.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ your signature

3. You may use “waiver of signature” to receive your package. Reply to the email notification and include in the subject line “waiver of signature,” and in the body include below :

“Waiver of Signature: I wish delivery to be made without obtaining signature of addressee.”

Once we receive your email, a key will be placed in your mail box so that you may pick-up your package at any time. Important: This waiver of signature voids any insurance on package.

Proper Addressing

The address format that is used on your incoming mail determines the speed in which Mail Services can get that mail to your box. If the address information on the mail piece is insufficient or incorrect and mail staff has to research your correct address, your mail will be delayed.
The proper address format for receiving all resident U.S. Postal Mail at the University is:

First & Last Name
98XXX Santa Catalina (XXX = Your box number)
Santa Barbara, CA 93106

Only use the above format for U.S. Postal Service.
If this format is not used, mail will be delayed. Please notify all correspondents of this address format to ensure that you receive mail in a timely manner. ALL U.S.P.S. Mail (Standard, First Class, Certified, Express, Global Express, Priority, Insured, Registered, Delivery Confirmation, and Signature Confirmation) require this address format.

Accountable (signature required) Packages

Express, Global Express, Insured, Certified, Registered, Delivery & Signature Confirmation mail require a signature in order to be released to the resident. A yellow card will be placed in the mailbox and an e-mail sent notifying the residents to pick up their package at the UCSB mail truck parked at the north tower mailboxes from 1:15pm-4:00pm.

When picking up a package, please bring the notification card and a photo ID. An Access card or driver's license are acceptable forms of ID.

If the name on the package does not match the name on the ID, the package will not be released to you. Mail Services will not accept a note or anyone else to sign for a package other than the recipient otherwise it will be returned to sender.

A signature is required when picking up an item, verifying that it has been released.

Please pick up packages promptly. The package area has limited space and cannot store packages for an extended period of time. If the package is not picked up within 2 weeks it will be returned to the sender.

Return to Sender

Accountable and oversized mail that has not been picked up within two weeks will be returned to sender. The package area has limited space, please pick up packages promptly.

If your mailbox is not working properly, or you are having trouble with your key, report it to the general office at Santa Catalina.

All Non-U.S. Postal Items

Other couriers such as: UPS, FedEx, and DHL will deliver packages/items directly to the resident’s room.

The address format that is used on your incoming parcels determines the speed in which the courier services (UPS, FedEx, and DHL) can get the package/item to your room. If the address information on the parcel is insufficient or incorrect your package will be delayed.
The proper address format for receiving packages other then U.S. Postal Service at Santa Catalina is:

First & Last Name
6850 El Colegio Road, Room # _____
Goleta, CA 93117

Your mailbox number is only used for delivery of U.S. Postal Service Mail.

Moving Out of Santa Catalina

During the School Year:
If moving from Santa Catalina Residence Hall to another Residence Hall or off-campus living arrangement, you must follow proper “Move-Out Procedures” with the Residence Director of your building. The General Office at Santa Catalina will notify Santa Catalina Mail Services of your change of address. Changing your address with the U.S. Postal Service, WILL NOT forward your Santa Catalina mail during the school year.

Summer:
If you want your mail forwarded when leaving the University for the summer, a UCSB Santa Catalina mail forwarding verification form should be completed and returned to Mail Services. These forms will be placed in all student mail boxes several weeks before the spring quarter ends. Students should notify senders of their forwarding address as soon as possible after the semester ends to avoid delays in the receipt of mail. If you do not receive a verification form, you can fill out a Student Change of Address Form on-line. (Note: this link is only active during the summer.)

Upon receipt of the notification, Mail Services will only forward first-class and periodical mail to your new address for 3 months (mid-June to mid-Sept). It is advised that you notify your correspondents of your new address as soon as possible to avoid the delays associated with forwarding your mail.

The U.S. Postal Service will not forward Standard, Non-Profit mail, such as catalogs and newsletters and mail from non-profit organizations. If you want to remain on their mailing lists, you will need to notify them of your new address.

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