This report contains aggregate data on costs for all schools of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, podiatry, veterinary medicine, and nursing, and the average education costs per student in these fields for a sample of schools during the 1972-73 academic year. Context for the study is provided by an appraisal of the educational institutions in the aggregate: (1) More than 1,600 schools in the United States provide education in the eight professions. (2) The schools spent more than $3 billion in the education of more than 30,000 students in 1972 but received less than 40% of their income from unrestricted education funds. (3) Two-thirds of all health professional students are in nursing. The other seven professions in 1973 graduated 22,900 students with the first professional degree. (4) Health professional schools vary greatly in their curricula, mixture of students, organization, and financial structure. (Author/MJM)