He was among the first to appeal for a place in the Erasmus program, which allows students to study abroad.

appeal 在这里是动词，意思是“郑重请求、呼吁、恳请”。appeal 来自拉丁语 appellare（呼叫、请求），常用来表达正式或恳切的请求行为。appeal for 表示“恳请获得”，强调请求的郑重与恳切。