The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word ALUMNI
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
A
L
U
M
N
I
More clues leading to the result ALUMNI
- Man I arranged to host first of London University’s ex-students
- Student population once almost entirely male in college
- A learnergraduates
- Former pupils from an island inhabited by Scottish smoker
- New Milan university could produce these
- Students of the past?
- Rugby boys once in maul, taking a battering
- Graduates from university in Milan running riot
- They are students of the past
- Graduates left university in a minute part of UK
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Student population once" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case student population once = alumni.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 ALUMNI mean?
ALUMNI noun- An individual alumnus or alumna.
- A male pupil or student.
- A male graduate.
- A student of any gender.
- A graduate of any gender.