Mail Services

Postal Services

• Domestic Mail

  First-Class Mail
  First-Class Mail can be used to send letters, postcards, greeting cards, personal notes, checks and money orders. First-Class Mail and parcels leave the College of Charleston daily at 2:00 p.m. through USPS pickup. 

  Priority Mail Express
  Anything mailable (max weight 70 lbs). Priority Mail Express provides guaranteed 1-day or 2-day expedited service by 3 p.m. and includes $100 of insurance coverage. Priority Mail  Express is the College’s preferred express delivery service when Saturday delivery is required.

  Priority Mail
  First-Class Mail items weighing more than 13 oz. Priority Mail advertises delivery in two to three days but timing is not guaranteed. Priority Mail is not insured or traceable; it is not the best way to send anything of value.

  Package Services/USPS Retail Ground
  If speed is not important but price is, this is an option. You can use these USPS options for items weighing up to 70 pounds and measuring up to 108 inches in combined length, width and height. The delivery goal for this type of mail or package is two to nine days, depending on distance; however, some items can take two or more weeks to arrive.

  USPS Marketing Mail
  The College of Charleston holds nonprofit permits at the USPS. There are significant restrictions with this type of mailing. Please coordinate directly with the Office of Marketing and Communications and Mail Services staff.

• International Mail

  Shipping and mailing internationally through the USPS is subject to a variety of rules and regulations. Every country has restrictions on different materials. For details, visit the USPS International Mail and Packages web page. Please bring your printed customs form to Mail Services.

• Intra-Campus Mail

  Intra-campus mail must be placed in an intra-campus envelope and should include both the person’s full name and department. Do not use building names, room numbers or street addresses. Mail addressed to students living on campus should include only the student’s name and their College of Charleston Complex number. Do not use the residence hall, room number or a street address. Read more about proper addressing of campus mail.

   

• Administrative Mail

  Mail Services provides the College of Charleston’s faculty and staff with a range of postal services.

  Departmental Deliveries

  Employees receive departmental/office mail via the Stono locker bank in the lobby of Mail Services. Stono is the off-white locker bank closest to the PG garage elevators. Departments and offices have a PIN to access their mail – just enter the number on the keypad and your locker door will open.

  Employees should drop off any outbound or interdepartmental mail at the Mail Services Customer Service Window. Outgoing mail must be dropped off before 2:00 p.m. to be processed that same day.

  Mail Services will deliver large-volume mail and large parcels, and units can place special requests for mail pickup, as needed.

  Outgoing Departmental Mail

  To help us process your mail efficiently, Mail Services needs each department to sort outgoing mail as follows. Mail services cannot affix postage on any mail without a College of Charleston return address.

  Intra-campus Mail

  Intra-campus mail must be placed in an intra-campus envelope and should include both the person’s full name and department. Do not use building names, room numbers or street addresses. Mail addressed to students living on campus should include only the student’s name and their CofC Complex number. Do not use the residence hall, room number or a street address.

  Pre-Stamped Mail

  Mail with postage affixed should be sorted from all other mail categories.

  All prepaid postage return envelopes must have a return address affixed before metering. Mail Services must receive an IDT with the authorized departmental signature to process prepaid postage envelopes.

  Mail to be Metered

  This includes any mail that will need postage. Please see Notification for Large Mailings below.

  • Departmental mail must have a College of Charleston return address, including the person’s name and department. This is essential in directing returned mail to the proper sender.
  • Extra services (e.g. Priority Mail, Certified Mail, etc.) will require an IDT. Please contact us if you are unsure if your mail qualifies as an extra service.
  • Departments will receive monthly charges for all outgoing metered mail, which will be sent by Mail Services via email. All charges comply with USPS pricing.

  Notification for Large Mailings or Large Stamp Requests

  Large mailings are classified as any mailings that are out of the norm for your department.

  Please notify Mail Services of large mailings by completing our Large Mailing Request Form with at least one working day's notice so we can prepare accordingly. You may also request bulk stamp orders through this form.

  Additional Metered Services

  Please see Domestic Mail, above, for detailed explanation of each service and pricing.

  Express, Priority, Certified and Business Reply must have a completed label (if required) and be accompanied by an IDT with an authorized signature or charged against your departmental account.

  Bulk Mail (USPS Marketing Mail) 

  The College of Charleston holds nonprofit permits at the USPS. There are significant restrictions with this type of mailing. Please coordinate directly with the Office of Marketing and Communications and Mail Services staff.

  International Mail

  Shipping and mailing internationally through the U.S Post Office is subject to a variety of rules and regulations. Every country has restrictions on different materials. For details on international mailings, visit the USPS International Mail and Packages web page.

  Shipping Options for Faculty and Staff

  Faculty and staff members have the option to send and receive packages through any private courier for office delivery. If using USPS for delivery, you must use the campus mailing address format to route the parcel or package through Mail Services.

  If you would like to use a private courier to arrange for delivery, please use the FedEx OptiFreight Outbound Program as your first choice. You can find this information in eProcure, under Other.

  Departmental Mailing Policies

  Personal Mail

  Personal mail is defined as non-business-related mail such as utility bills, credit card bills, bank statements, mail order catalogs and non-work-related periodicals. Mail Services will not deliver personal mail - it is prohibited by state policy as it uses state resources for the transport of personal items.

  Pursuant to U.S. Postal Regulations and state policies, all mail sent to the College of Charleston is the sole property of the College of Charleston.

  Forwarding Policy

  Departments are responsible for forwarding and/or returning mail for faculty and staff who have moved to another department or left the College. The department should readdress the item with the new department name and return it to Mail Services to deliver to the appropriate office.