Which university employed J.R.R. Tolkien as a professor?

The University of Oxford employed J.R.R. Tolkien as a professor.

Tolkien’s Oxford career began after he worked at the University of Leeds. He joined Oxford in 1925 as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College. In 1945 he moved to Merton College, where he became Merton Professor of English Language and Literature.

Oxford provided the setting for much of Tolkien’s professional life. He taught, researched, wrote, and took part in literary friendships there, including his association with the Inklings, an informal discussion group that included C.S. Lewis. Tolkien remained at Oxford until his retirement in 1959.

A common mistake is to name Cambridge because Tolkien’s work is often discussed alongside other British literary scholars. Cambridge was not his principal academic institution. Oxford is also distinct from the University of Oxford’s individual colleges: Pembroke and Merton were colleges within the university, not separate universities.