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Languages, Power and Cultures Programme
Are you curious about cultures, fascinated by the past, or passionate about languages?
Trinity College’s 2026 Languages, Power and Cultures Programme is an exciting opportunity to explore how language and culture shape the world around us.
The programme offers a chance to examine the Classical and contemporary worlds through the lenses of power and culture. Together, we’ll explore how different forms of organised power convey meaning, and how the images and texts they produce shape the ways people imagine themselves and others.
This programme will benefit anyone interested in studying languages, classics, history, or related subjects. Aimed at current Year 12 (or equivalent) students, it provides the opportunity to experience university-level teaching delivered by Cambridge academics.
Applications for Languages, Power & Cultures 2026 are now closed. Applicants will be contacted in mid-January with the outcome of their application.
Programme Overview
Our Languages, Power and Cultures programme consists of a series of six live lectures from Cambridge academics exploring themes across Classics, Linguistics, Archaeology, Asian & Middle Eastern Studies and Modern and Medieval Languages. All registered students will have access to these live sessions, gaining a taste of university-style teaching in the arts and humanities.
These sessions are for students in Year 12 (England and Wales), S5 (Scotland), or Year 13 (Northern Ireland), and will introduce a range of fascinating topics led by Cambridge academics.
All webinars will take place online from 5pm–6pm on the following dates:
- Tuesday 3 February
- Tuesday 17 February
- Tuesday 24 February
- Tuesday 10 March
- Tuesday 17 March
- Tuesday 31 March
Participants will be selected according to widening participation criteria to take part in three small-group peer discussion sessions led by current Trinity undergraduate students. These sessions will give students the opportunity to debate ideas and explore a set of lecturer-recommended readings in greater depth.
The discussion groups will take place online from 5pm–6pm on Tuesday 10 February, Tuesday 3 March, and Tuesday 24 March.
Engagement and widening participation criteria will be used to to select which students to invite to attend a two-day residential visit at Trinity College. This in-person experience includes additional academic sessions, along with opportunities to explore college life and meet current students and academics.
Core Eligibility
This programme is open to students currently in Year 12 (England and Wales), S5 (Scotland), or Year 13 (Northern Ireland).
You don’t need to be studying a language to apply – all that’s required is an interest in how societies, past and present, express their culture and identity through language.
The programme is particularly suitable for students considering university study in:
- Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic
- Archaeology
- Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- Classics
- History
- History and Modern Languages
- History of Art
- Linguistics
- Modern and Medieval Languages
- Theology
Places for the peer discussion groups and the in-person residential will be allocated in line with Trinity College’s widening participation criteria (see below).
Key Dates
Application Deadline: 6pm Monday 5 January 2026
Teacher Reference Deadline: 6pm Monday 12 January 2026
First online webinar session: 5pm Tuesday 3 February 2026
Residential Visit: Monday 13 – Tuesday 14 April 2026.
If you have any questions or would like any further information on this programme please reach out to Heather and Luke, our Schools Liaison Officers at [email protected]
FAQ
All students wishing to attend one or more elements of the programme must complete this form in full by 6pm on Monday 5 January. This includes submitting a short personal statement outlining why you would like to take part in the programme.
Applicants must indicate on the sign-up form which elements of the programme they are interested in. If you are applying for the peer discussion groups and/or the April residential, you will be asked to provide the contact details of a teacher at your school who is willing to provide a reference in support of your application.
Your nominated teacher will have until 6pm on Monday 12 January to complete the short supporting reference; however, the earlier you submit your application, the more time they will have to complete theirs.
All applications with references received by the deadline will be considered equally. Unfortunately, late applications cannot be considered.
All students who sign up will be invited to attend the online webinar series. Applicants for the peer discussion groups and the in-person residential will be notified whether or not they have been offered a place. If you are successful, we will then send you a confirmation form to finalise your acceptance.
The series of six online webinars will be open to all students who sign up, regardless of academic attainment or personal background.
There will be 80 places available for the programmes peer mentoring sessions and 40 places available for the residential in April.
For both the peer mentoring and in-person residential applicants will be assessed based on their academic record, commitment to exploring languages and related subjects at a higher level, and a teacher’s reference.
Only students attending a UK school that does not charge fees will be eligible to attend the peer mentoring sessions and residential. In line with Trinity’s widening participation aims, preference may be given to applicants who fit one or more of the following criteria:
- will be the first generation in their family to go to university (i.e., whose parents/carers did not attend university; this excludes siblings)
- attend a school that sends few students to Cambridge or Oxford
- are from an ethnic group under-represented at Cambridge
- live in an area identified as having lower socio-economic advantage or low progression rates to higher education
- have spent any time in care
- have significant caring responsibilities (e.g. for a parent/carer or siblings that affects their ability/time to study)
- are or have been eligible for free school meals, or the 16-19 bursary
- are refugees or asylum seekers
No – all elements of the programme are completely free to attend. For those selected for the residential, the cost of food, accommodation, and travel to Cambridge will be fully covered by Trinity College.
For those selected to attend, the residential element of the programme will include additional academic taster sessions, application guidance from our Outreach Team, and opportunities to experience student life, including a formal dinner and other social activities.
The residential will take place from 10:30 on Monday 13 April to 14:30 on Tuesday 14 April.
To be eligible, students must be available for the full duration of the residential programme.
Participants will be responsible for arranging their own travel to and from Cambridge. Guidance on the best ways to reach the College can be found on our Visiting Trinity College webpage.
Students travelling from particularly long distances, for whom same-day travel is not feasible, may be considered for an additional night of accommodation on the evening of 12 April.