The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ACADEMIA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
A
C
A
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A
More clues leading to the result ACADEMIA
- Pointed article about upset in Oxbridge and suchlike
- A chartered accountant meant to back the universities
- Lined up a college to return to adult world of learning
- Self-help group covering roughly half the folk on campus
- A media broadcast covering California’s scholarly world
- A chartered accountant meant to take up scholastic life
- A rogue record label first to attack the scholarly world
- Drivers crossing Cape planned to go west for scholarly life
- Clubs in two areas planned to elevate scholarly life
- Which publisher half separates adults creating scholarly environment?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "in universities" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in universities = academia.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ACADEMIA mean?
ACADEMIA noun- (collective) The scientific and cultural community engaged in higher education and research, taken as a whole.
- Continuous study at higher education institutions; scholarship.