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Human services assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a human services assistant. Human services assistants usually study business, psychology, or human services. 36% of human services assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 2,116 real human services assistant resumes to see exactly what human services assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for human services assistants are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online human services assistant courses to help get the education required to be a human services assistant.

There are certain human services assistant certifications that you should consider. These human services assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

What education do you need to become a human services assistant?

What degree do you need to be a human services assistant?

The most common degree for human services assistants is bachelor's degree, with 36% of human services assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 24% and high school diploma degree at 23%.
  • Bachelor's, 36%
  • High School Diploma, 24%
  • Associate, 23%
  • Diploma, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a human services assistant?

You should major in business to become a human services assistant. 14% of human services assistants major in business. Other common majors for a human services assistant include psychology and human services.

Most common colleges for human services assistants

Human services assistants often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Francis Marion University, and Morris College. Here are the most common colleges for human services assistants in the US based on their resumes.
Human services assistant common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix16.98%
Francis Marion University9.43%
Morris College8.81%
Limestone College6.29%
South University6.29%

Best majors for human services assistants

RankMajorPercentages
1Business13.8%
2Psychology13.5%
3Human Services11.5%
4Criminal Justice9.1%
5Nursing7.8%

Best colleges for human services assistants

The best colleges for human services assistants are Northwestern University, New York University, and University of Southern California.

A human services assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for human services assistants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become human services assistants.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

3. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

4. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

20 best online courses for human services assistants

Advertising disclosure

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Top 10 most affordable universities for human services assistants

The most affordable schools for human services assistants are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for human services assistants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for human services assistants.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for human services assistants

The hardest universities for human services assistants to get into are Northwestern University, New York University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for human services assistants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for human services assistants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for human services assistants

The easiest schools for human services assistants to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, bluefield college, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a human services assistant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for human services assistants.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

Average human services assistant salary by education level

According to our data, human services assistants with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $38,113 annually. Human services assistants with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $33,657.
Human services assistant education levelHuman services assistant salary
Master's Degree$38,113
High School Diploma or Less$28,441
Bachelor's Degree$33,657
Some College/ Associate Degree$28,704

Human services assistant education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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