I majored in German in college (and honestly probably only got to a high B2 or so, which is not very advanced), so a decade or so after I graduated, I signed up for six months of intensive online classes from 3-7:30 am every weekday before work, then applied to a bunch of masters programs in German language instruction. I was accepted on a provisional basis for a normal teaching degree, and given a year to take more intensive German classes before starting the degree. Nearing the end of that year, I had advanced my German enough to qualify for the masters in German education.

To qualify for the student visa, I had to prove my student status and have €10k that I could put into a bank account to be withdrawn in steady increments throughout the year (and have a clear criminal record, though marijuana was recently legalized, so maybe those charges would be irrelevant- important note about Germany specifically though: the populace and to a much greater degree the government are very pro-Israel and you might have problems with the visa application if you have a history of speaking out against it or for Palestine. I was already here in 2023, but they’ve gotten a lot more aggressive about it since October 7th). The intensive classes cost about €5k for the whole 18 months, and university tuition is around €400 per semester.

I do have a talent for languages, but I also think that if anyone spends 18 months doing 20 hours of language instruction per week, they’ll be able to at least get a high enough level to study a non language related degree in most countries. I’ve seen dedicated illiterate adults begin learning both German and how to read and get a language level high enough to meet university admission requirements here within three years, so a person starting out knowing their letters can do it in half the time. It’s not easy, but if you can focus on it, it’s doable.