Fill out a University of California application for fall admission as a freshman by the deadline date of Nov. 30 prior to the year you plan to graduate from high school. Gather your high school transcript, ACT or SAT test scores, advanced placement test scores, parents' annual incomes for the previous two years, your Social Security number, citizenship status, ELC ID number (if applicable) and statewide California Student ID number. Have a credit card number or check ready to pay for the application fee.
Complete at least 15 college-preparatory courses, or what the UC system calls "a-g courses (history, english, math, lab science, foreign language, visual arts and an elective)." A minimum of 11 of those courses must be completed before your senior year in high school.
Earn a grade-point average in a-g courses of 3.0 or better if you are a California resident, or 3.4 if you are out-of-state. Make sure you do not earn a grade lower than "C" in any single a-g course.
Take the ACT With Writing exam or the SAT Reasoning Test by December of your senior year in high school. Review the freshman admission profile for Berkeley to see where your test scores and overall high school GPA fall within the averages for freshman applicants. This will give you an idea of whether you are likely to be accepted as a freshman. Consider retaking one or more exam to increase your chances of admittance.