Expansion of Radcliffe College is less important than the maintenance present standards of educational quality, President Mary I. Bunting declared yesterday.

"Getting bigger does not have the top priority," she said, denying that the college has an obligation to expand its enrollment. "We must try to assert our leadership by doing the best job we can," instead of increasing the size of the college without sufficient facilities, the President maintained.

Last year, she noted, Radcliffe received applications for the freshman class from approximately 1,000 "well-qualified" students. Only one-fourth could be accepted because of present limitations on pushing space.

"We want to set our house in order first and then consider the possibility expansion," she commented. With 92 per cent of the College currently in residence, the President noted, Radcliffe's dormitories are filled to overflowing already.

Although the co-operative houses to be completed this year will provide a few more spaces, most of these will be used relieve present over-crowding. "The number of additional students we could like isn't going to solve anyone's problems," the President remarked.

Commuters Wouldn't Help

Increasing the number of commuters is of the answer to the expansion question, president Bunting noted. "Even the students who live in this area usually prefer to move into the dormitories," she explained. "The number of those who ant to commute diminishes every year." As a member of the ad hoc Faculty committee studying the size of Harvard and Radcliffe, President Bunting remarkable that the present radio of four men to the woman should be reconsidered. She could see no particular reason for remaining the radio indefinitely.

Expanding the graduate school is easier than increasing the size of the college, President Bunting said, because there is no residential requirement. She expressed that Radcliffe should provide Graduate training for as many qualified students as possible. However, because the separate departments are in charge graduate admissions, she pointed out that Radcliffe cannot initiate expansion correctly.