Google has announced plans to provide free email and coursework tools to universities and colleges in an attempt to expand its presence in the education sector.

By offering services that can be retained after graduation, Google hope to build a ‘relationship for life’ with students.

The Google Apps suite is being promoted to educational institutions as an alternative to existing web-based email providers. Subscribers can also define a customised version of the Gmail client, adding their own colour scheme and domain name. Student Gmail accounts remain free of advertising for the duration of their academic use, but are subject to the standard levels of promotional links if kept after graduation.

Trinity College Dublin is one of the first institutions to sign up for the service. Mike Nowlen, director of information systems service at the university, says Google's popularity among students was an influential factor in Trinity's decision.

‘It seemed to be the system of choice,’ said Nowlen.

‘We started on this almost two years ago, and at that time there was no competition. Google was regarded as a global player in a positive sense – it did not have negative connotations. It was the first available, large-scale workable solution.’

The scheme was announced to Trinity students last Monday. The new services are being offered as a trial, although they will become mandatory as of September, the start of the academic year.

‘Our students are voting with their feet. We're seeing several hundred students signing up every day – even though exams are over and a lot of them have long gone. As of yesterday 15 per cent of our undergraduates were on board,’ said Nowlen.

Rather than acting as a direct competitor to Microsoft Office, Google says the App s tools are designed to help students communicate online, allowing multiple users to edit documents and spread sheets in real time.

‘The idea is that these are not a replacement for anything,’ said Google spokeswoman Laura Ainsworth.

‘They're not rich programs designed to take over anything else, they are designed to collaborate and share while working on projects.’

This is a predicable move from Google, says David Bradshaw, principal analyst for Ovum’s software group

‘Many companies, including Microsoft, have targeted the education market on the basis that if you get them early, you get them for life. Many of these people will end up using corporate email and desktop software of all types, so it makes sense to get them using Google to start off with,’ he said.