Campus Mail

The primary functions of the Campus Mail department are:

  • Pick up, sort, and deliver incoming mail from the United States Postal Service (USPS). Mail is picked up and delivered to all departments once a day. Call 617-353-2156 if you have any questions.
  • Pick up, process, and deliver the University's outgoing mail. All classes of outgoing mail that are to be metered must be sent to Mail Services at 120 Ashford Street. Outgoing mail is picked up by the USPS every weekday at 4:30 p.m. at Charles River, 3:30 p.m. at the Medical Campus.
  • Pick up sort, and deliver interdepartmental mail and intercampus mail for next-day delivery
  • Coordinate and control all metered mail and postal permits and bulk mailings by Mail Services or vendors approved by Mail Services
  • Assure University compliance with US Postal Regulations and all other University, local, state, and federal policies that relate to the processing and delivery of mail
  • Provide advice to University departments regarding all mailing needs
  • Maintain, coordinate, and submit appropriate reports and transactions to ensure proper accounting and billing of postal charges, FedEx charges, and mailing services to Boston University departments

Location:  120 Ashford Street (East End)
Campus Mail (Room 163) 617-353-2156
Bulk Mail (Room 156) 617-353-9724
Director (Room 158)  617-353-6680
Facsimile 617-353-6688

Incoming Mail

The US Postal Service delivers mail addressed to all schools, colleges, centers, and departments on the Charles River Campus to Mail Services at 6 a.m. and again at 8 a.m.  At 9:00 a.m. Mail Services picks up Certified, Express, and Registered Mail which must be signed for at the Kenmore Post Office on Deerfield Street.

Mail Services sorts all incoming mail into the appropriate mail distribution routes, and once a day starting at 11 a.m. the incoming mail is delivered to all departments, and outgoing mail is picked up.  Three Mail Services trucks follow standard routes to deliver and pick up mail.  See the Mail Routes interactive map to follow the scheduled routes of mail delivery.  

Mail Services has a fourth truck for special pick-ups. If you have extra mail to be picked up that would require the Mail Services driver to take extra time for your pick-up, we ask that you call for a special pick-up (617-353-2156) so the driver may continue to deliver regular mail in a timely way.

Forwarding Mail

It is the responsibility of University departments to forward mail for any faculty or staff member who is no longer with the University.  When such mail is received, cross out the old address, write in the forwarding address, and place it in the outgoing mail bin.  Please note University business correspondence is the property of Boston University and not the property of a former employee.

Interdepartmental Mail

To ensure proper handling of interdepartmental mail, please follow these basic guidelines:

  • Use the special, reusable manila interdepartmental envelopes available from your stationery supplier.  Mail Services sometimes has a supply of used envelopes which we can recycle to you.
  • Cross out all previous markings on the envelope so that the name of the intended recipient is clearly identifiable
  • Interdepartmental mail should include the recipient’s full name, department, and building address
  • Separate interdepartmental mail from US mail and international mail by bundling it with rubber or paper bands
  • Call Campus Mail (617-353-2156) if you have a large mailing which requires a special pick-up or must be expedited for next day delivery
  • Call Bulk Mail (617-353-9724) for information about our services for assembling and addressing envelopes, flyers, and notices

Interdepartmental Mail Delivery to Special Locations

Mail Services also makes deliveries to special University locations listed below.  All correspondence should be bundled by the delivery address.

  • Barnes & Noble at B.U., 660 Beacon Street
  • Boston University at 930 Commonwealth Avenue
  • Boston University Dental Health Center, 930 Commonwealth Avenue
  • Boston University at 1010 Commonwealth Avenue
  • Boston University Medical Center, 715 Albany Street
  • Boston Medical Center, One Boston Medical Center Place
  • Boston University Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue
  • University Computers, 533 Commonwealth Avenue

Outgoing Mail Preparation

To ensure that outgoing mail is delivered in an accurate, timely, and cost-effective manner, please follow these basic guidelines in preparing mail for USPS processing:

  • All mail must include a delivery address and a Boston University return address.  Contact Mail Services if you would like examples of the recommended sequence and position for delivery and return addresses
  • Type or machine print all address information
  • Use uppercase letters
  • Omit punctuation
  • Use two-letter state abbreviations
  • Put City, State, and Zip + 4 in that order on last line.  Note: if you wish to include an “Attention” line it should appear as the second line of the address

Follow the links for further information and instructions on US Postal Service envelope requirements, the classes of mail service, and special services provided by the Postal Service.

METERED Mail and postal permits

Mail Services is responsible for proper management of the University’s metered mail and postal permits. The department maintains postal accounts with the United States Postal Service (USPS) and processes mail charges back to the individual departments in the schools, colleges, centers, and administrative units. In order to carry out this responsibility, Mail Services must:

  • Maintain sufficient monies in the Postal Permit accounts to pay for mailings as they are processed by the United States Postal Service (USPS)
  • Review each mailing and certify that it conforms to USPS regulations for Standard nonprofit mail, and
  • Process the paperwork needed to charge back the mailing costs to the individual departments in the schools, colleges, centers, and administrative units which have budgetary responsibility for their own postal expenses.

To ensure compliance with USPS regulations, individual departments may not process any mail under the University’s Postal Permits without the assistance of University Mail Services.

Individual departments, for example, are not authorized to:

  • Purchase and/or lease postage machines
  • Contact a United States Post Office for the purpose of directly charging mailings to one of Boston University’s Postal Permits
  • Directly purchase any service from a mail house vendor without advance approval from the Director of Mail Services, and
  • Use Boston University’s Postal Permits for cooperative mailings with non-University organizations that violate USPS regulations for Standard nonprofit mail.