The word "exports" usually conjures images of container ships, rail cars and loading docks. But not all exports are tangible. And not all exports are sent directly abroad.

Take higher education, for instance. International students who attend college here are also spending their money here, paying for an American education with their yen or won or euros.

In Montana, higher education amounted to a $20 million export in the last academic year, according to NAFSA: The Association of International Educators. That's a miniscule slice of the $14.5 billion the group estimates international education generated as an export nationally, but still a significant boost to the state's economy, particularly in Missoula and Bozeman, home to the state's flagship universities.

"It's kind of a reverse-export," said Mark Bisom, chief of the Department of Commerce's International Trade & Relations Bureau. "Those are foreign dollars being spent in-state."

The NAFSA study counts both tuition/fees and living expenses paid by international students, in Montana each around $13 million last year, and subtracts the money provided to those students as local support, usually in the form of scholarship money from the various insitutions.

The study claims that education is the fifth-largest service export in the U.S.

Locally, the financial impact of international students at Carroll College totaled $352,000. That included more than $500,000 spent in the Helena economy, some of which was offset by more than $200,000 in support from the college.

Michelle Lewis, director of international programs at Carroll, said economics aren't currently a primary driver as she recruits international students. Instead, students from overseas bring diversity to the college population.

"Especially in the West, we're isolated from big cities and we're isolated from ethnic foods and from different languages being spoken on the streets," Lewis said. "It's good for students to have that exposure. It's a nice way to learn something about somewhere else in the world, to try to remove some of the stereotypes."

In her first year on the job, Lewis has traveled to Asia twice to represent Carroll at college fairs in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia. Later this winter she'll make another recruiting trip, to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

"One thing that's interesting is the perception of the word 'college.' It means different things in different places," Lewis said. In some countries, a college is simply a residence hall, while in others the word refers to a strict vo-tech school. "The Catholic institution part is fine, but it's the word college that's a big challenge."

Carroll has 15 international students this year, down slightly from recent years and just a fraction of the 91 that were on campus at one time in the 1990s.

The University of Montana in Missoula accounts for the largest portion of international students' contributions to the state economy, with a net impact of $8.3 million in the last school year. Montana State in Bozeman also ranks highly at $7.1 million, with Montana Tech in Butte ($1.6 million) and Rocky Mountain College (just over $1 million) also accounting for a million dollars or more in education exports.

Reporter John Harrington: 447-4080 or john.harrington@helenair.com.