<p>Good points to think about. I would add though that we know some Canadian students who did manage to stay on in the US, without too much difficulty. Some states (Massachusetts) have publicly funded health care (Romneycare!) and Obamacare may stay with us -and, of course, schools have health plans. SUNY Purchase is much more affordable than most schools, and there may be others. A young composer would most likely either go to grad school (in US or Canada, or perhaps UK, Germany or France) or work at something else while composing on the side: for commissions, competitions and so on.</p>
<p>It does seem that going to school in Canada is a good idea, and there are great possibilities, but if for some reason you still want to consider US schools, it is not impossible, but takes some care and thought.</p>