academic clique; old school tie
Refers to a network of people from the same school or university who favor each other in professional or academic settings. Often carries a negative nuance of in-group favoritism.
あの会社は学閥が強いから、同じ大学の出身じゃないと出世しにくい。
That company has a strong academic clique, so it's hard to get promoted unless you're from the same university.
学閥にとらわれず、実力で人を評価すべきだ。
We should evaluate people based on their abilities, not on academic cliques.
old school tie; loyalty to one's alma mater
Compound of 学 (learning, school) and 閥 (clan, clique). The term emerged in modern Japanese to describe academic in-group favoritism.