In manpower training, as in any other area , efficient uses of resources is always desirable since it is one of the most important determining factors . Simulteneously, quality of the training should also be givDn due consideration in parallel with that ) f efficiency . The promissi Dg or effective out come of training of nurses obviously is not different .Qu t of the five schools fo r the training of nurses in the country , the Centralized School of Nursing of Addis Ababa and the Nursing School of l~smara are studied . Choice of these schools i s based on convenience and feasibility for the study . The main concern of the study is to estimate the cost of training nurse s in Ethiopia based on the experiences of the two schools of nurs ing . The study also c overs the effect of attrition ~n the cost of traini n g & the staff - student ratios during 1973 - 1977 E , C. The study sho>ls that , on the average the Centralized School of Nursing spends Birr 2145 . 35 per student per year while the Asmara Nurs i ng School spends Birr '1306 . ·t4 per student per year . The average total cost per student from enrollment up to graduation at the Centralized School of Nurs ing i s Birr 6233 . 12 while at Asmara School of Nursing it is Birr 3686 . 00 . An average Bttrition rate of students of 20 . 4% per y ear at the Centralized School of Nursing and 15 . 5% per year at Ls:nara Nursing School is observed based on studying three consecuti ve batches in both schools . Attrition has shNID a s tatistically s i gnificant effect on the cost of the training in both schools . v v l If there Here not any attritirn of students , the mean cost "auld be reduced by 27 . 5% for tlae Centralized School " f Nursing and by 19% for the Asmara Nursing School . Cost per student per year and cost per trained student betHeen the t'10 schools Here also compared . And it Has found out that the Centralized School of Nursing spends significantly m~re in both aspec t s • . ( P < 0 . 0005 ) . The !tsmara Nursing School has staff- student ratio Hith an annual average of 1 :20 and ranging frnm 1:13 to 1 :24 . The Centralized School rf Nurs i ng has an aver age staff- student rati " 0f 1:13 , ranging f~0m 1 : 10 to 1 :15 . In b oth cases only the teaching staff are considered frr calculating staff- student ratios . Recommendations are made based on the findings of the study