Tanvir Hussain would soon explore the hallowed halls of one of the oldest universities of Europe where Dante, Petrarch and Copernicus once studied.

The first-year MSc in botany student from AN College is one of five students and two teachers from the Patna institution who will study at reputable universities in Europe under the Erasmus Mundus India4U scholarship programme from the next academic session. Hussain would go to the Universitá di Bologna, Italy, arguably the oldest university on the continent, established in 1088.

“It is a dream for me to study in one of the oldest universities in Europe,” said Hussain, who completed his schooling from Vidya Vikash High School, Ichapur, Bengal, and graduated from St Xavier’s College, Ranchi.

“I am from a middle-class family. My father has limited income. This is a great opportunity for me.” It is nearly impossible to fathom the sea of opportunity that Hussain can explore in Universitá di Bologna. Since 2000, its motto has been alma mater studiorum (Latin for “nourishing mother of studies”). Epic poets Dante Aligheri and Francesco Petrarch roamed its halls. Nicolaus Copernicus, who proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system, placing the Sun instead of the Earth at its centre, was also a student there.

Besides Hussain, the others who have earned the unique opportunity are Pravin Kumar, final-year undergraduate student of environment and water management; Swati Kumari and Aparna Singh, postgraduate physics students; and Reshmi Rani, a PhD scholar in material science.

Swati and Aparna have offers to study at Universitá degli Studi di Trento in Italy; Pravin would go to Universidade do Porto in Portugal and Reshmi to Politecnico di Torni in Italy.

Joining the student in south Europe to cultivate her academic pursuits would be physics teacher Seema Sharma. She would study the development of memory devices at Universidade do Porto for four weeks.

While his students and colleague enjoy the sunny Mediterranean weather, Ashok Ghosh, a faculty member of the environment and water management department, would conduct research on arsenic contamination in groundwater at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. The period of his research is also four weeks.

Both Sharma and Ghosh would get 2,500 euros for their research. For the students, all costs of travel, study and boarding would be borne by the Erasmus Mundus association.

According to the programme’s website, “India4EU II is an Erasmus Mundus Action 2 project funded by the European Commission and organised by partnership of some the most prestigious universities in Europe and India.” It is one of the most prestigious scholarships funded by the European Union.

Ghosh, also the co-ordinator of Erasmus Mundus India4U II programme at AN College, said: “Around 100 students have been selected from different educational institutions across the country.

“Its aim is to promote higher studies and research among students and teachers from developing countries,” he said, adding that it had the same status in Europe as Fulbright scholarship has in the USA. Applicants are selected on the basis of their academic performance and English proficiency tests like Test of English as a Foreign Language or International English Language Testing System.