Campus Mail Services serves all members of the Duke community with the distribution, collection, and processing of inter-campus mail and U.S. mail related to official Duke business. Campus Mail Services assumes no liability regarding the personal mail of an employee.

There are three categories of mail accepted at Duke:

  • Campus Mail: This is mail for internal distribution (inter-campus mail).
  • Metered Mail: Mail sent by departments that requires metering or postage. All mail sent by departments that needs postage requires a charge code.
  • Stamped Mail: Mail bearing stamps or Business Reply Mail (postage paid envelopes); can be placed in the Stamp Mail Box.

To make sure your mail is sorted and shipped quickly and efficiently, you can learn more about guidelines for metered mail, sending mail to other members of the Duke community and outgoing mail below.

Addressing Mail

Learn how to address mail and packages to on-campus locations.

Additional Mail Services

If you have any questions not covered in one of the above links or elsewhere on this page we encourage you to reach out to us over the phone at 919-382-4500, or by email at dukepostoffice@duke.edu.

Outgoing Mail

All outgoing mail needs a return address. Faculty, staff and students can determine their proper address at the Duke Internal Directory. Departments at Duke should separate all outgoing First Class, international and campus mail. The different types should be put in separate trays or bundled and marked accordingly. All outgoing mail that needs postage affixed requires a cost object (fund code). Any such mail without a cost object (fund code) will be returned to the sender.

Mail Forwarding

Campus Mail Services does not forward mail for employees, but will forward mail for entire departments if they move to a new location. Individuals are responsible for notifying others of their change of address. If departments receive mail for someone who is no longer there, call (919) 382-4500 for a forwarding address label.

When you receive mail that needs to be forwarded, cover the original address with a provided label and put the envelope or package back in the mail. If you do not know the forwarding address, Campus Mail Services can provide you with return to sender labels.

Collection Times & Locations

The U.S. Postal Service delivers mail to Duke throughout the day beginning at 8 a.m. See a full list of collection locations and times.

Envelopes, Forms and Mail Trays

Departments can request campus mail envelopes, mail trays, buckets and other postal forms by asking a route driver or by calling 919-382-4500.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you write your address as shown at the top of the page, you'll never have a problem. It includes your street address for carriers like FedEx and UPS, and it includes your Duke box number for Duke Postal Operations the USPS. With the complete address above, your mail will get to you no matter which service handles it.

The key is "Duke box #." Many vendors will reject post office (U.S. Postal Service or USPS) box numbers because USPS requires postage to deliver to these boxes. But they will allow Duke box numbers. In fact, some FedEx and UPS ground services, and some vendors like Amazon, will switch over to USPS to save on shipping, so you should insist that they include the Duke box # in the address.

Look up your building on the campus map.

When an envelope doesn't have a specific space for the box number, just list it directly below the recipient's name, as in the example at the top of the page.

University addresses carry the 27708 zip, while health system addresses on campus carry the 27710 zip.

All employees on Duke's campus in Durham do; four-, five- or six-digit numbers. You can look up box numbers in the Search field on duke.edu and duke.edu/today. Even people in some off-campus locations -- like our offices in Smith Warehouse and the American Tobacco Campus, and some off-campus medical offices that pick up interoffice mail on campus -- have Duke box numbers. Those who don't have box numbers cannot receive interoffice mail processed through Duke Campus Mail Services; you must use the USPS to send mail to their street address.

Use Duke@Work to update information. If you find you can't change something, contact your payroll clerk, who may have additional access.

Often, courier mail finds its way to interoffice mail. To ensure that your mail reaches its destination, it's always best to include the full name and box number. No harm if you want to add the department name, but don't abbreviate, and don't assume the department name is an adequate substitute.

Most, but not all. There is no campus mail delivery to Duke Health Raleigh, Duke Regional Hospital or the many clinics throughout the area, for instance. If you have a question, contact us.

We deliver by mailbox numbers, not names. Make sure that you change (or have your payroll clerk change) your address in the system whenever you move to ensure you continue to get mail intended for you.

Campus mail is for business use only, one of the reasons we don't forward mail when you transfer from one location to another. We assume the mail is for the person who is handling your former responsibilities. We can provide the person who sorts your mail with pre-printed labels if you want your mail forwarded to you in the new work location.

Duke Bluebag Program

Campus Mail Services (CMS) has started a program for heavy volume mailers. CMS now provides Blue Round Trip mail bags and postage meter cards to internal departments to help expedite higher volumes of mail and streamline the letter mail process. If you are interested in learning more or signing up, please send an email request to dukepostoffice@duke.edu (subject: Duke Bluebag Program).