Harvard College announced today that Google will provide the platform for undergraduate email accounts effective on August 15, 2011. Accounts with the @college.harvard.edu email address, hosted by Gmail, will be available to existing and incoming undergraduates.

“Students have been asking for a change to the College’s email system, and we are pleased to be able to provide them with a robust, easy-to-use email interface that they are familiar with and like,” said Evelynn Hammonds, Dean of Harvard College and Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science and of African and African American Studies. “With reports that over 80% of Harvard students use Gmail for services, we believe that they will be happy with this change.”

Students will continue to have the same college email addresses with username@college.harvard.edu and they will still go to www.webmail.college.harvard.edu to access their email accounts. What will be different is the user interface which will look like the Gmail interface they have likely used before.

“We’re excited to provide email to students that is both innovative and easy to use,” said Anne Margulies, Harvard University CIO. In addition, students will have access to the Google Apps for Education suite of tools, including calendar, chat, documents, video, mobile and sites.

The new email interface will be up and running on August 15 and students who need help or have questions will be able to go to www.fas-it.fas.harvard.edu/atcollege-migration-faqs to get answers to frequently asked questions and reach a support person.