Class of 2028 Recruited Athletes Boost Average Athlete SAT Scores by 110 Points, Survey Finds

Harvard recruited athletes are closing the gap between average recruited athlete SAT scores and those of their non-athlete peers, according to The Crimson’s survey of the freshman class.

The SAT scores of recruited athletes in the Class of 2028 increased by more than 110 points from the previous year. Recruited athletes in the Class of 2028 scored an average of 1479, while athletes in the Class of 2027 had an average score of 1368.

In keeping with previous years, recruited athletes in the Class of 2028 scored lower on the SAT on average than non-recruited students. Non-recruited students reported scoring an average of 1525, compared with the average of recruited athletes sitting at 1479.

However, the difference shrunk from when compared with the Class of 2027 report, which saw a gap of more than 160 points between recruited athletes and non-recruited students. Recruited athletes scored an average of just 45 points lower compared with their non-recruited classmates.

When looking at all respondents together, the Class of 2028 achieved an average score of 1523 on the SAT and the average ACT score was a 34.

The Class of 2028 will be the last class with the option to apply to Harvard test-optional, with candidates applying for admission to the Class of 2029 in the ongoing application cycle required to submit scores.

After affirmative action fell last year, the national debate on legacy and athlete status in college admissions continues. Students with relatives who attended Harvard scored slightly better on the SAT, with an average score of 1539, while students without Harvard graduate relatives scored 19 points lower on average.

When breaking down test scores by political affiliation, the average score for students who self-reported as Democrats was 1527, nearly 70 points higher than the average score of students who identified as Republicans. The average ACT score for Democratic students in the Class of 2028 was 34, two points higher than the average score for Republican students, which sits at 32. Approximately 10 times more students self-identified as Democrat than Republican.

In the third part of The Crimson’s four-part survey of the Class of 2028, students reported their academic and extracurricular backgrounds.

Roughly 33 percent of students in the Class of 2028 completed The Crimson’s freshman survey, which included questions about their backgrounds, beliefs, political views, social media use, and the application process. The survey was open from Aug. 22 to Sept. 13.

In analyzing survey results, The Crimson did not account for potential selection bias. Some statistics may not sum to 100 percent, due to rounding.

Before Harvard

The Class of 2028 performed exceptionally well in high school before arriving at Harvard.

Nearly 37 percent reported having a 4.0/4.0 GPA in high school, with the average GPA of respondents at 3.98. On average, the GPA of students who attended a public high school was marginally higher than those who attended private schools, averaging 3.98 compared to 3.96. On average, 73 percent reported studying more than 10 hours per week, with over 22 percent studying more than 30 hours.

The Class of 2028 also demonstrated a high degree of experience in leadership roles. Over 30 percent of respondents were the president of their student council (or equivalent) while in high school.

Outside of school, community service was the most popular extracurricular activity, with more than 71 percent of respondents reporting having volunteered. Athletics and student government followed close behind, with over 50 percent of students reporting participation in each.

Plans for Harvard

Economics, Government, and Computer Science were the most popular intended concentrations among incoming freshmen, for the eighth time in the past nine years. The Crimson did not publish a survey for the Class of 2026.

Consistent with previous years, recruited athletes were more likely to anticipate pursuing a concentration in Economics than non-recruited students. More than 27 percent of recruited athletes anticipated studying Economics compared with only 23 percent of non-recruited students. The trend is significantly more pronounced than it was for the Class of 2027, where only 19 percent of recruited athletes expressed interest in Economics.

Academics take top priority for the Class of 2028. More than 81 percent of respondents anticipated that academics would be the most important part of their time at Harvard, while only over three percent of respondents ranked clubs as most important. Still, more than 53 percent of respondents indicated that they would pursue term-time employment while at Harvard.

After graduation, 29 percent of respondents indicated they wanted to pursue further education. The next most popular industries were academia, government or politics, finance, and health.

—Staff writer Samuel A. Church can be reached at samuel.church@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @samuelachurch.

—Staff writer Madeleine A. Hung can be reached at madeleine.hung@thecrimson.com.