Student work to cut short (3)
I believe the answer is:
lop
'cut short' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'student work' is the wordplay.
'student' becomes 'l' (as in L-plates for learner drivers).
'work' becomes 'op' (abbreviation for opus).
'l'+'op'='LOP'
'to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for lop that I've seen before include "Chop (off)" , "Remove branches from a tree" , "Hack" , "Cut off, tree branches say" , "Prune, cut the top off" .)