winter break 2021 business hours:
Between Monday, December 20, 2021 and Sunday, January 2, 2022, the Harvard Yard Mail Center will be open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. m. to 2 p.m. m. We will resume regular hours on Monday, January 3, 2022.
Important Mail Delivery Reminders for Harvard University Freshmen:
hums’ harvard yard mail center (hymc) is in the basement of the science center and handles mail and packages for freshmen. all freshman deliveries are delivered to this mail center. students for whom packets are received are sent notification emails and can go to the hymc window to pick them up. (Window hours are Monday through Friday from 8:14am to 4:45pm. Mailboxes at HYMC are assigned by the Freshman Experience Office. Mailbox numbers and combinations are sent with housing packets prior to first year move in for fall move in -in 2021 there will be additional hours for packet pick up and August 25-27 packets will be picked up in the cafeteria located on the first level of the science center .
box numbers in hymc are assigned by the first year experience office. mailbox and housing assignments are emailed at the end of July. The address for residents who receive mail at hymc must be in the following format:
<full name> <mailbox number> harvard yard mail center cambridge, ma 02138
so for example
juan p. harvard, iv #### harvard yard mail center cambridge, ma 02138
This is the best way to direct your mail. however, some carriers will require a mailing address, in which case the format should be as follows:
juan p. harvard, iv #### harvard yard mail center 1 oxford street cambridge, ma 02138
Mail should not be sent to freshman residence halls, as mail is not delivered to those residence halls and there is no connection between room numbers and mailbox numbers.
Rising sophomores receive new addresses when they move into their residence halls. if mail is sent to seniors at your freshman address, it will be redirected by hums; however, to avoid delays in receiving mail/packages, please be sure to use the correct address.
Special note for perishable items: Please check with your student to make sure they pick up perishable items. if they are not collected, they will be thrown away (ie food, flowers).
Newspaper Subscriptions: Please ask your student to inform the hymc staff of any newspaper subscriptions. they will make sure they are kept for the students. (They are often too large for mailboxes and will require window picking.)
business hours:
If you receive notification that you have a package in a package locker, you can retrieve it 24 hours a day or when the science center is open to the public.
customer service:
If you have questions about the mail or inquiries about package tracking, please contact hums@harvard.edu or call 617-496-6245.
We will need the following information when answering inquiries:
- tracking number
- name, including any nicknames or alternate names that may be on the package
- mailbox number
- carrier (usps , fedex , ups, amazon logistic)
- general description (shape, size, etc.)
- any other information that may be useful
Please note that the tracking systems used by USPS and other carriers (UPS, FedEx, etc.) do not necessarily indicate when packages are delivered to Harvard University Mail Services (HUMS). In most cases, USPS items are scanned and “delivered” before they arrive at a Harvard loading dock, either during sorting at a USPS facility in Cambridge or when loaded onto a USPS truck. . other carriers will deliver to loading docks that are not drone managed. packages are not considered received by hums until they are registered in our tracking system indicating that we have custody.