Frequently Asked Questions

Delivery of interoffice mail should take no longer than one business day.  If your mail has taken longer, please call 496.MAIL (6245) or email hums@harvard.edu. 

The format is not strict but should include the name of a department, program, or school, and a street address or building name. 

Most Harvard affiliates in Cambridge, Allston, or the Longwood Medical Area may participate in the interoffice mail system.  We do not deliver interoffice mailings to affiliates in remote locations such as Dumbarton Oaks, in Washington D.C., or Villa I Tatti, near Florence, Italy. 

Yes there is a charge for mailings that exceed interoffice limits.  For current rates and more information, please e-mail hums@harvard.edu. 

We keep an inventory of interoffice envelopes on hand and can provide them to departments on request. We will also pick up excess interoffice envelopes and will make sure that they are reused. If you require interoffice envelopes or would like a supply removed please contact us at hums@harvard.edu, or 496-MAIL (6245). 

If you wish to prevent delivery of interoffice mail that you have already sent, please phone us as soon as possible after pick-up, at 496.MAIL (6245). 

Yes.  Please notify us at 496.MAIL (6245) or hums@harvard.edu if your department plans to send packages over two pounds through interoffice mail, without signature confirmation. If you require on-call package delivery with signature confirmation, please see our courier service. 

Harvard University mailing lists are supplied from several separate departments.  Mailing lists must be individually requested for each project.  We do not own any University mailing list, but can assist with contacts to request them.  Please contact us with your inquiry at hums@harvard.edu. 

We deliver U.S. Mail to the vast majority of Harvard’s schools and departments in Cambridge.  USPS delivers directly to Longwood Medical Area, most Harvard addresses in Allston, and a small number in Cambridge. 

We meter every class of U.S. Mail, both domestic and international. We ask, however, that the sender fill out customs forms for international parcels over 1 lb., since we will not know the contents of the pieces given to us for metering.  Customs forms and other mailing materials can be ordered online at www.usps.com. 

For current rates and more information, please email hums@harvard.edu. 

No, the only permit imprint that can be directly dropped in a mail box is a Business Reply Mail permit.  A bulk mail permit is used when presort work is done ahead of time and delivered to the U.S. Postal Service as a single mailing.  For more information please contact us at: hums@harvard.edu. 

We provide discounted mailing for First Class, Non-Profit and Presorted Standard mail. For more information, please contact us at hums@harvard.edu. 

We have alternative options for sending bulk mail internationally. Please contact us for more details at hums@harvard.edu. 

Currently yes, although HUMS and the post office highly recommend that addresses be laser printed or typed at no less than 8 point type.  This helps with processing and will increase the speed and accuracy of mail delivery.  

We manage the mail centers at the Science and Engineering Complex, Harvard Divinity School, Littauer Center, Smith Campus Center, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Center for Government and International Studies, William James Hall, the GSAS Residence Halls (Perkins Hall), DCE, GSE, Harvard Art Museum, The Undergraduate House Mail Centers and the Science Center.  Other mail centers are independently managed.  

Our courier service makes separate deliveries of boxes, packages, and documents between any two points on the Cambridge and Allston campuses, with signature confirmation.  (In most cases we can also deliver to the Longwood Medical area or off-campus by arranging in advance.)  Rates vary depending on parcel size and destination. Please contact us at hums@harvard.edu for more information. 

Pickups and deliveries through private carriers are arranged by the individual senders.  However, we can offer advice on shipping strategies and alternatives. 

Yes.  We have a range of color and black & white print options.  We can print business cards, envelopes, letterhead, pamphlets, posters, etc.  If you have a specific need please contact us at hums@harvard.edu 

We forward first-class mail to domestic and international addresses for the residents of the Undergraduate Houses, Harvard Yard, GSAS Residence Halls, and Vanderbilt Hall.  Residents of these buildings can change their forwarding address as often as needed on our online form. This service does not include magazines, periodicals, UPS or FedEx. University Mail will be sent back to the sender with the student’s forwarding address attached.  Individual offices or departments may then affix proper postage. 

Please contact hums@harvard.edu for answers to specific questions about forwarding from other Harvard addresses.  

Our office is open Mon.-Fri., 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

We have Saturday hours of 10AM-2PM at the GSAS Mail Center and the Harvard Yard Mail Center. These locations receive private carriers only on Saturdays. US Mail is not received or delivered on Saturdays.