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Citing tougher US immigration laws, the proliferation of Asian (specifically Chinese) engineering, and a declining number of US engineering grads, Bill Gates issued a warning to educational institutions that the US is in danger of losing its leading technological status.

"If you look at the trend 10 years ago, the U.S. and China were not that different in terms of the number of engineers graduated," Gates said Monday in a speech to the Society of American Business Editors & Writers.

"Now we have one-quarter the number of engineers, and the trend is continuing."

After Sept. 11, 2001, he said stricter regulations have made it more difficult for foreign students to come to America.

This has caused as much as a 30% drop in enrollment, ultimately damaging the US competitive edge.

Joining his cause is Intel executives and Cisco Systems who have also said schools need to improve, especially in the math and science arenas.