Diploma in Social Services Worker - Indigenous Specialization is a diploma in Social Work programme taught at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Canada. The programme runs for 4 semesters, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 19,228 per year (CAD 4,186 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Diploma
Field:Social Work
Duration: 4 semesters
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 4,186 / year
International tuition: CAD 19,228 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Impact the lives of Indigenous individuals and communities This interactive program delivers a client-centered approach that is culturally relevant. The Anishnabek/Indigenous perspective is embedded in the program and will prepare you to become effective social services workers within all levels of practice in the human services field. Through theory-based and hands-on practice sessions, you will learn to demonstrate consistent ethical, legal, and professional responsibility while adhering to social work values and principles. Case studies, presentations, practice sessions, guest speakers, supervised social service fieldwork, and access to Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and culturally relevant support and teachings will ensure you are job-ready. The Indigenous specialization will set you apart in the social services field, providing you with enhanced knowledge and the wisdom to help create a culturally safe environment for clients and the community. The program is transformative as students frequently report they cannot believe how much they have grown and changed as a result of this experience.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: DOMESTIC ENTRY. Ontario Secondary School Diploma (30 credits) or an equivalent, or mature student status - 19 or older before classes begin and without an OSSD, assessed individually, with pre-testing for readiness possible. Required subjects: any grade 12 English at the (C) or (U) level. The page publishes no minimum grade.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS. This diploma is held to Cambrian's graduate certificate English band rather than its diploma band, and the program page states the requirement directly: Academic IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0; TOEFL 570 on the paper-based test or 84 on the internet-based test; PTE (Pearson) 61; Duolingo 120 or higher. International applicants, and domestic applicants presenting transcripts earned outside Canada, must send official notarised documents with a certified translation where they are not in English, have them assessed by a certified credential evaluator, and include a copy of a valid passport.
BEFORE FIELD PLACEMENT - not conditions of the offer. Basic clearance through Cambrian's placement partner, covering first aid, CPR, a CPIC vulnerable sector check, WHMIS, AODA, workplace health and safety, workplace violence and prevention, and a signed WSIB student agreement. Some placement sites supporting vulnerable populations also ask for medical clearance - measles-mumps-rubella, a two-step TB test, varicella, tetanus-diphtheria, pertussis, polio and hepatitis B. There is a cost, and Cambrian says the process takes roughly six to eight weeks, so start early.
Application Details
Start Date:Intakes Cambrian lists for this program on its own page, read 6 September 2026: September 2026 (Schedule A fall term: Day 1 orientation 8 September 2026, classes from 9 September 2026, term ends 18 December 2026). Term dates come from Cambrian's published 2026-27 Academic Schedule A, which most programs follow and which is built from 14-week blocks with September, January and May starts. Not every program admits in every term, and the intakes above are the ones this program's page lists for the 2026-27 year; check the program page before applying, because an intake already under way may be closed.
Application Deadline:DOMESTIC APPLICANTS (Canadian citizens and permanent residents). Cambrian publishes no deadline that belongs to this program alone; what follows is the college-wide Ontario colleges cycle plus Cambrian's own term cut-offs, and it applies to every full-time program. Apply at ontariocolleges.ca. Applications received there by 1 February are given equal consideration - they are assessed together, and Ontario residents are preferred where a program is oversubscribed. After 1 February applications are handled first-come, first-served for as long as seats remain, and your file is judged on what has reached the Admissions Office by the transcript submission deadline. For entry in Fall 2027 the provincial cycle runs as follows: the ontariocolleges.ca application opened on 26 September 2026, colleges may issue offers from 1 November 2026, the equal consideration date is 1 February 2027, an offer must be accepted by 1 May 2027, and tuition deposits fall in June 2027 on each college's own date.
COLLEGE-WIDE LAST DAY TO APPLY. Separately from the equal consideration date, Cambrian's 2026-27 Academic Schedule A sets a hard last day to apply for admission on Day 3 of each term - for this program's intakes that is 10 September 2026 for the fall 2026 start. To begin, all transcripts and documents must already be with the College and you must be ready to pay the deposit and start classes by Day 5 (14 September 2026, 15 January 2027 or 14 May 2027). The schedule prints this as an all-programs date and does not distinguish domestic from international applicants. The non-refundable deposit is due 15 June 2026 for the september start.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS. Do not use the domestic ontariocolleges.ca form: apply on the OCAS international service (Cambrian's college code is CAMB, up to three program choices), or have an authorised agent file for you in Cambrian's own application portal. The 1 February equal consideration date is part of the domestic Ontario colleges cycle and Cambrian publishes no closing date of its own for international applicants; files are assessed individually as they arrive. Cambrian does say that some programs fill faster than others and advises acting early, and that the letter of acceptance carries an expiry date past which no student may enrol. Once the offer is accepted and fees are paid you need an Ontario Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before you can apply for a study permit, so leave time for that step.
