What are the characteristics of a varsity novel?

The varsity novel is one that takes place, exclusively or primarily, on a college or university campus. The term may be broadly applied to such a work from any country, but in the United States such works are often referred to as “campus novels.” Both of these terms may be included in the broader term “academic novel.” The primary characters of the varsity novel are usually students, but they often interact with faculty; some literary critics include works whose main characters are faculty in this category. The works are often, but not exclusively, satires. Notable British examples include Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, which is student focused, and Kingsley Amis’s Lucky Jim and David Lodge’s Changing Places, which are both faculty focused. American novels in this category include Vladimir Nabokov’s Pnin, Mary McCarthy’s The Groves of Academe, and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.
https://books.google.com/books?id=rVAoDwAAQBAJ&dq=varsity+novel&source=gbs_navlinks_s

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/oct/02/featuresreviews.guardianreview37