J.K. Rowling studied French at the University of Exeter as part of a degree that also included Classics. She graduated in 1987.
Rowling spent part of her third year in Paris as an assistant teacher, gaining practical experience connected with her French studies. After university, she worked in several jobs before devoting herself more fully to writing.
Her academic background is sometimes simplified as a French degree, but the subject was French and Classics. The classical component is relevant to readers who notice the Greek and Latin influences in names, spells, creatures, and concepts across the Harry Potter books.
Studying French was not the same as studying at a French university. Exeter is an English university, and Rowling’s time abroad formed part of her course. These details distinguish her education from later claims that she studied at Oxford, Cambridge, or a Paris institution.