To assist learners in gaining requisite skills necessary for success in college-level math and English courses, the College offers Foundational courses. Foundational courses are not a required part of any academic program offered at the College; are not college-level; are not Title IV-eligible; are not transferrable to another institution; are not part of any institutional or programmatic accreditation grant; and are offered as a means of preparation for college-level English or math courses, with pass/fail grading. The Foundational courses MAT 90 (Pre-Algebra) and ENG 90 (Developmental English) are required for learners who score between 240 and 259 in Arithmetic or between 240 and 249 in Reading on the College's undergraduate entrance exam. Learners must complete the required course(s) with a passing grade to be enrolled in an academic program. The foundational course resource fee for each foundational course is $100, which includes all necessary materials.

The College also provides the English Lab Course (ENG 95) at no additional charge for learners with Accuplacer testing scores in Reading from 250 to 259 and/or in Writing from 240 to 259. Learners who pass ENG 90 must enroll in ENG 95 the following semester. Learners will take ENG 95 concurrently with first-semester courses. In addition, learners who are not required to take the course but feel they would benefit from the course can add it by request. There are limited seats available, and they are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Learners who wish to enroll in this pass/fail zero credit course may contact RegistrationManagment@Nightingale.edu. Prior to the semester they will be enrolled in ENG 95, learners will receive email communication asking to confirm that they still wish to take the course. If no reply is received, the learner will not be enrolled. For more information, see the Foundational Course Descriptions section of the Catalog.

Upon successful completion of the foundational course(s), learners only may defer their entrance into college-level courses one semester.  After that time, the learner must retake the relevant foundational course. If a learner fails their Foundational course(s), they must wait one full year to retake the Accuplacer entrance exam.