Nearly one in three Harvard varsity upperclassmen athletes study Economics — a concentration rate far higher than that of any other field and driven largely by men’s teams, where athletes share the same concentration more often than on women’s teams.

The Crimson reviewed 2025-26 rosters for all 42 varsity teams and cross-referenced athletes’ concentrations using an internal Harvard directory, identifying declared concentrations for all 641 upperclassmen student-athletes. Of those, 188 — about 29 percent — concentrate in Economics.

The next most common fields — Applied Mathematics, Psychology, and Government — each claim roughly 11 percent, with about 70 student athletes apiece. Computer Science, the College’s second most popular concentration overall, counts just 22 upperclassmen athletes.

Because Harvard students declare their concentrations at the end of their third semester, the analysis does not include freshmen. 20 athletes play two sports and were included in calculations for each team they are a part of.

The distribution of majors is far more concentrated for athletes than among Harvard students as a whole. Economics is also the most popular concentration in the College, with 934 declared concentrators — roughly 18 percent of the student body — in the 2024-25 academic year, according to the most recently released Fields of Concentration guide.

But among the broader student body, the drop-off between top concentrations is gradual — Computer Science follows with 655 concentrators, Government with 554, and Applied Mathematics with 391 — while athletes cluster far more heavily in a single field.

Harvard Athletics spokesperson Imry Halevi wrote in a statement that student-athletes “have the same academic freedom as all students to choose any concentration that aligns with their intellectual interests and career goals,” adding that there are no mechanisms steering athletes toward particular fields.

“Economics is the single most popular concentration at Harvard College overall, so it is not surprising that many student-athletes pursue it as well,” he wrote.

Student-athletes said the appeal of Economics often comes down to the freedom to balance athletics with interests outside the classroom.

Katelyn E. Matarese ’28, who is on the women’s cross country and track teams, said that when she chose Economics last fall, the concentration stood out as manageable alongside the demands of varsity sports.

“When I chose it, when I have a five-hour practice, I don’t have to do a four-hour lab on top of that,” she said. “And I think Economics gives you more freedom in the classes you choose.”

Amy V. Wotovich ’25, former captain of the women’s swim and dive team, said studying Economics gave her room to pursue entrepreneurship and athletics at the same time.

“A big perk of Economics was the flexibility that it offered me to start building a startup in college and then go full-time on that startup upon graduation, and find different communities and interest groups on campus to lean into those interests as well,” she said.

But Economics’ popularity among athletes is concentrated heavily on men’s teams. Of the 188 Economics concentrators, 131 compete on men’s teams, compared to 50 on women’s teams and seven on co-ed teams. More broadly, about 39 percent of a men’s team’s upperclassmen share a single concentration on average, compared to roughly 28 percent on women’s teams.

On men’s golf, all four upperclassmen have declared Economics. The concentration also accounts for 12 of 20 upperclassmen on men’s baseball, 20 of 39 on men’s heavyweight rowing, and 19 of 43 on men’s football. Where Economics does not rank first on a men’s roster, Applied Mathematics typically fills that role — leading men’s lightweight rowing at eight of 25, and men’s squash at three of eight.

A few men’s teams break the mold. On men’s soccer, Physics leads with four of 22, ahead of Economics at three. On men’s water polo, Psychology tops the list at three of 12.

Vanessa Zhang ’28, who is on the women’s golf team, said upperclassmen mentorship may help explain why men’s teams cluster so tightly.

“Within the men’s team, for instance, it’s helpful that you have teammates who are already Econ, and they can give you way more guidance on what it’s like to be in Econ than if you were to major in something completely different,” Zhang said.

But on the women’s side, she added, there is a history of a wider range of concentrations.

“Last year, we had a senior who did Economics and ESPP. This year, our captain is Applied Mathematics and English; you have all of these looks into what it would actually be like from these seniors in a way that the men’s team doesn’t,” she said.

Women’s rosters reflect a broader spread of concentrations — and several women’s teams have no clear top concentration at all. On women’s track and field, Economics, Government, Human Evolutionary Biology, and Psychology are tied at four of 28. On women’s lacrosse, Psychology leads at seven of 23. Neuroscience tops women’s swimming and diving at four of 23. Women’s rugby clusters most in Integrative Biology, with three of 21, and Engineering leads women’s softball at three of 17.

Women’s teams also account for a larger share of athletes in life-science fields — Human Evolutionary Biology, Integrative Biology, Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology, and Neuroscience — that are uncommon on men’s rosters.

Not all women’s teams break from the men’s pattern. Women’s soccer lists six of 16 athletes in Economics, and women’s field hockey counts four of 15. In both heavyweight and lightweight rowing, Economics and Applied Mathematics rank first and second among women, as they do among men — though at lower rates.

Sixty-one upperclassmen student-athletes also pursue a double or joint concentration, continuing a trend that has grown rapidly since the College first approved double concentrations in 2022.

Athletes said alumni mentorship networks can reinforce existing patterns in concentration choices.

Linden A. McCarl ’28, an Integrative Biology concentrator on the softball team, said her team’s alumni network often appears better equipped to help Economics concentrators.

“We have a mentor program where HSB alumni will be our mentors for the year,” she said. “It’s kind of funny as someone not on the Econ side, because they never struggle to give mentors to Econ people, but all of us life science people, we’re all just getting alums who are kind of similar in direction.”

“But both semesters, I’ve gotten people who’ve gone into the medical field, and I’m not particularly interested in the medical field, so it just shows,” she added. “But every single Economics concentrator on my team has someone, and they always are like, ‘Oh my gosh, my mentor was super helpful for exactly the type of thing I want to go into.’”

Halevi wrote that Harvard Athletics “is committed to supporting all varsity athletes in pursuing rigorous academic pathways across the full spectrum of concentrations offered by the College.”

Student-athletes are also navigating growing academic pressures beyond their choice of concentration. Several varsity teams saw their average GPAs drop last fall as the College moved to curb grade inflation. And in spring 2025, a Faculty of Arts and Sciences committee recommended mandated attendance — a shift that could pose particular challenges for athletes who regularly miss class for travel and competition.

—Staff writer Julia A. Karabolli can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at juliak.80.

—Staff writer Tanya J. Vidhun can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @tanyavidhun.