Bowl graduates in (5)
I believe the answer is:
basin
'bowl' is the definition.
('basin' can be a synonym of 'bowl')
'graduates in' is the wordplay.
'graduates' becomes 'bas' (I've seen this in other clues).
'bas'+'in'='BASIN'
(Other definitions for basin that I've seen before include "Land drained by a river" , "requirement for cleansing" , "Sink for washing" , "dock, maybe" , "Kitchen vessel" .)