The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word FACULTY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
F
A
C
U
L
T
Y
More clues leading to the result FACULTY
- Memory possibly defective, Charlie admitted
- Medicine for one is not working around college
- University department failing to employ Conservative
- Part of university showing mental awareness
- Part of university group girl is kept outside
- Power is off — cold inside
- University department not OK, catching cold
- Caught playing up outside school
- Power to act for part of academic institution
- Aptitude of teaching staff
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Part of university/mental awareness" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case part of university/mental awareness = faculty.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 FACULTY mean?
FACULTY noun- The academic staff at schools, colleges, universities or not-for-profit research institutes, as opposed to the students or support staff.
- A division of a university.
- An ability, skill, or power, often plural.
- A power, authority or privilege conferred by a higher authority.
- (Church of England) A licence to make alterations to a church.
- The members of a profession.