At Fanshawe College in London, Canada, Human Services Foundation is offered as a certificate in Social Sciences & Education programme. The programme runs for 30 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 17,699 per total (CAD 3,596 per total for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Social Sciences & Education
Duration: 30 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 3,596 / total
International tuition: CAD 17,699 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
If you are passionate about helping people, Fanshawe’s Human Services Foundation program can introduce you to the many career options in human and community services. This preparatory program will provide a balanced education that helps give you the right skills, knowledge, and experience to succeed in college and in a competitive job market.As a student in our Human Services Foundation courses, you’ll enjoy a combination of classwork and presentations from human services workers, while learning about community services and career programs. You will have the opportunity to observe professionals working on-site, for real-life understanding of a career in human services. This program provides an up-close and comprehensive view into this diverse and rewarding field. With your human services certificate and learning, you can be sure that you’ll be able to find the career path that is right for you.This program gives you excellent preparation – and extra consideration – if you are planning on entering any of Fanshawe’s Human Services career programs like Child and Youth Care, Early Childhood Education, Social Service Worker, Developmental Service Worker, or Recreation and Leisure Services, among others. If you plan on moving on to university, a 3.0 or better GPA in this program will put you in great position for acceptance, as it provides you with the development of academic skills and strategies to enhance your success. No textbooks need to be purchased for this program. Graduates from the Human Services Foundation program will be eligible for 1-3 course exemptions for each of the career programs, offering the advantage of a lighter course load while retaining full-time student status.The Human Services Foundation courses provide an engaging and broad education in understanding human behaviour, developing professionalism, cultivating self-awareness, building leadership abilities, learning job-ready skills, and interpersonal skills. This program serves as a foundation for preparing students to be successful in college and in specific people-oriented career programs. Basic academic coursework relevant to human services and a Silex experience in a human services setting combine to provide a comprehensive introduction to the field of helping. By joining the HSF program, you will learn to help others, make a difference, and become more self-aware.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Admission to the Human Services Foundation certificate requires an Ontario Secondary School Diploma carrying courses from the College (C), University (U), University/College (M) or Open (O) stream, or equivalent, or mature-applicant standing; applicants without a high-school diploma may instead complete Fanshawe's Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) Grade 12 equivalency certificate. Applicants whose first language is not English must meet Fanshawe's proficiency standard: IELTS Academic overall 6.0 with no band under 5.5, TOEFL iBT overall 4.5 with no band under 4 (79 on the pre-2026 TOEFL scale), PTE Academic 53 with no band under 45, or Duolingo 105 with no section under 95 (CAEL, Cambridge English and LanguageCert Academic equivalents also accepted). Admitted students must complete a mandatory placement assessment for the program's WRIT course, and Fanshawe recommends prior community involvement, leadership experience, or volunteer or work experience in human services as useful preparation.
Application Details
Start Date:Full-time starts currently open to domestic applicants: September 2026 (London). Starts open to international applicants: September 2026 (London). (Listed on the Fanshawe program page, checked 6 September 2026.)
Application Deadline:Fanshawe publishes no deadline specific to this program — these are the college-wide dates. Domestic applicants apply through ontariocolleges.ca: the equal consideration date is 1 February 2027 for Fall 2027 entry (the cycle opened 26 September 2026), and applications arriving after it are assessed in order of receipt until the program fills. Offers to non-competitive programs begin going out 1 November 2026, competitive-program offers are sent by 30 March, and 1 May 2027 is the usual deadline to accept an offer. International applicants apply directly to Fanshawe (CAD 100 fee) and have no single published cut-off date; instead, proof of study-permit approval is due 9 December 2026 for a January 2027 start and 5 April 2027 for a May 2027 start, with all admission conditions cleared by 15 December 2026 and 15 April 2027 respectively.
