Which university did J.K. Rowling attend before completing her degree in French and Classics?

J.K. Rowling attended the University of Exeter, where she completed a degree in French and Classics.

Rowling studied at Exeter from 1983 to 1987. Her course included French and Classics, subjects that later helped provide names, language and cultural references for parts of the Harry Potter books. She spent part of her degree studying in Paris as an assistant teacher.

After graduating, Rowling worked in several jobs, including roles at Amnesty International and the Manchester Chamber of Commerce. She later moved to Portugal, where she taught English and began a family.

Rowling’s university education is sometimes confused with her later residence in Edinburgh. She did live in Edinburgh while writing much of the early Harry Potter series, but the University of Edinburgh was not the institution where she earned her undergraduate degree.