Phantom hog distressed university student (5)
I believe the answer is:
ghoul
'phantom' is the definition.
(I have seen 'Evil phantom ' mean 'ghoul' so perhaps 'phantom' could also mean 'ghoul')
'hog distressed university student' is the wordplay.
'distressed' indicates anagramming the letters.
'university' becomes 'U' (abbreviation for university).
'student' becomes 'L' (as in L-plates for learner drivers).
'hog' anagrammed gives 'gho'.
'gho'+'u'+'l'='GHOUL'
(Other definitions for ghoul that I've seen before include "Gruesome fiend" , "Morbid type" , "Morbid voyeur" , "Spectre, fiend" , "Evil presence" .)