The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word NEWIE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
N
E
W
I
E
More clues leading to the result NEWIE
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "fresher" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case fresher = newie.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 NEWIE mean?
NEWIE noun- Something newly released, such as a song or film.