What was J.K. Rowling’s university?

J.K. Rowling attended the University of Exeter.

She studied French and the Classics at Exeter and graduated in 1987. As part of her French studies, she spent a year in Paris. Her university education is a notable part of her biography because knowledge of languages and classical culture later helped inform aspects of the Harry Potter books, including names, spells, and references.

Rowling did not study at Oxford or Cambridge, although those universities are sometimes guessed because they are prominent in discussions of British literature. Before becoming a published novelist, she worked in several roles, including as a researcher and bilingual secretary. She began planning Harry Potter after conceiving the idea of a boy attending a school for wizards during a train journey in 1990. The first book eventually appeared six years after her Exeter graduation.