J.R.R. Tolkien studied as an undergraduate at Exeter College, Oxford.
Tolkien entered Exeter College in 1911 to study classics. He later changed direction toward English language and literature, a field that better matched his growing interest in philology, medieval texts, and historical linguistics.
His time at Oxford helped establish the academic path that eventually led to posts at the University of Leeds and Oxford. He became especially known for his work on Old and Middle English, as well as for his teaching and scholarship on Beowulf and other medieval literature.
Exeter College is sometimes confused with Tolkien’s later Oxford affiliations. He was a fellow and professor at other Oxford colleges during his career, but Exeter was the college where he began his Oxford undergraduate education. His studies there preceded his military service in the First World War.