Step 1 – Register your HMS account

HMS IDs are automatically created for those with Harvard IDs issued by Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Harvard School of Public Health. Faculty and staff based at HMS-affiliated hospitals also qualify for an HMS account.

Before using an HMS account, you must register it.

To register your HMS account, contact HMS IT by phone at 617-432-2000 or by email at itservicedesk@hms.harvard.edu.

Step 2 – Access education applications
Step 3 – Sign in to the HMS email system

Use your new HMS username and case-sensitive password to sign in to your official email account at mail.hms.harvard.edu.

Your official student email address at HMS will be:

  • HSDM students: firstname_lastname@hsdm.harvard.edu
  • HMS students: firstname_lastname@hms.harvard.edu
  • HST Ph.D. students: firstname_lastname@hst.harvard.edu

Note – Incoming GSAS and DMS students receive only a FAS email account. Work with the FAS IT staff on any issues with your FAS email.

Additional information

Antivirus

Students must have antivirus protection on both Windows and macOS. 

HarvardKey

The goal of HarvardKey is to provide a student with one number that they can use to access many different University systems and services.

Visit key.harvard.edu for more information and to obtain your HarvardKey. 

Some examples of services accessed via HarvardKey:

  1. Student, Teaching, and Advising Portal at my.harvard.edu
  2. Discounted Computers and Software  

Additional information and help are available at harvard.service-now.com/ithelp.

Emergency text message service
  1. Sign in to your MyCourses account
  2. Select Preferences in the upper left corner of the frame
  3. Select Messaging.
  4. Select Sign Up/Edit under the Emergency Broadcasting Text Message Service panel.
  5. Follow the directions to register for this service.
Computing services

Visit the Student Computing section of the HMS IT website.

Fix a misspelled name

You must contact the Registrar's Office directly to change your student information. After the change has been made with the Registrar's Office, it will be changed on downstream HMS systems.