Mail

• US Mail
• Campus Mail and Mail Codes
• Overnight Deliveries
• Mass Mailings

US Mail

Central Mail Services
101 Service Building, Mail Code 5701
Telephone: (212) 854-2081
Fax: (212) 864-6586

Incoming

The University’s Central Mail Service delivers incoming United States Postal mail and picks up local and outgoing mail on Columbia’s campuses.  Mail to any of the University’s locations is delivered free of charge. 

Incoming mail to the University must follow the following format: 

Personal Name
Program, Title, or Department
Columbia University
Mail Code
Street Address, Room Number
New York, NY  Zip

The Post Office would prefer that building names not be used; instead, use the complete street address of the building in the address block.  Listings of these addresses can be found in the campus telephone directory.  If you feel that it is important to use the building name, that name should appear below “Columbia University” and above the street address.  It is important that the room number be placed on the street address line.  Inclusion of the mail code on all incoming US mail is extremely important for delivery of your correspondence.  It is also important that the mail code be placed above the street address, since the Post Office’s scanning equipment could read it in error and delay your mail.

Outgoing

Outgoing mail is metered by the Central Mail Service on a daily basis.  Mail to be metered should be placed in the large boxes labeled “Outgoing Postal Mail” located in your building’s central mailbox area. Domestic and international mail must be bundled separately.

The mail metering machines are able to seal regular #10 envelopes, but all larger envelopes need to be sealed before dropping them for pick-up.  (If you have a stack of #10 envelopes, please feather the flaps.)  If you need any information concerning mailings or available options, please contact Central Mail Services.

All outgoing mail must be official University business and must include a Columbia University return address. Personal mail such as utility, credit card, bank, and mortgage statements will be returned to the originating department.  Any variance from this guideline will require a written request for waiver by the department chair or director.

Campus Mail and Mail Codes

All permanent employees on the Morningside campus have been assigned a four-digit mail code to expedite the sorting and delivery of US and internal campus mail.  In the Columbia University Directory, mail codes appear in the alphabetical listing of officers and staff; a list of frequently used mail codes is also included in the back of the Directory.

Note:  The Medical Center, Harlem Hospital, Lamont-Doherty, and Nevis employees are not included in this coding process.