What was C.S. Lewis’s undergraduate college at the University of Oxford?

C.S. Lewis studied as an undergraduate at University College, Oxford.

Lewis entered University College in 1917 after receiving private tutoring from William T. Kirkpatrick. His studies were interrupted by military service during the First World War, but he returned to Oxford after being wounded and continued his academic work.

This college is distinct from Magdalen College, where Lewis later held a fellowship and taught for much of his Oxford career. The distinction matters because Lewis’s name is strongly associated with Magdalen, although his undergraduate college was University College. He also later became a professor at Cambridge University.

At Oxford, Lewis achieved notable success in examinations and developed the broad scholarly interests that shaped his career. He studied classics, philosophy, and English, eventually becoming a tutor in English literature. His Oxford years also included major changes in his religious outlook, including his return to Christianity during the 1920s.