The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 7 letter word MATURE STUDENT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
M
A
T
U
R
E
S
T
U
D
E
N
T
More clues leading to the result MATURE STUDENT
- Late learner falls due to disapproving word about private office
- One late to classes nuts must attend having crossed river
- One getting on in education
- Man stuttered awkwardly outside university, sort of learner
- Dean terms tutu out of order for particular kind of learner
- One coming to class late unfortunately met us and truanted
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One late to classes" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one late to classes = mature student.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.