University of California, Berkeley will soon open an "early college academy" that will allow high school students to earn college credit as they work toward their diploma.

The school is expected to open in fall 2005 and will serve about 420 students in grades six through 12, officials said. The school's location has yet to be determined.

The academy will be funded through a $400,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. The foundations have provided seed money for several similar academies across the nation, including two in New York City, one in Los Angeles and another in New Orleans.

The schools are intended to prepare educationally disadvantaged students for college.

"We want the academy to provide a learning environment that enhances opportunity and achievement for students from all income levels, racial groups and language backgrounds in the East Bay," said P. David Pearson, professor and dean of Berkeley's Graduate School of Education, which will help guide the creation of the academy. "We also want it to be a resource for teacher education and leadership training on our campus and for professional development for East Bay school districts."

The academy will be created as a California public charter school, said Gail Kaufman, director of UC Berkeley's School and University Partnership, and attendance will be free.

The Gates Foundation has also provided funding through a partnership with California Community Colleges to allow for the formation of 15 other early college high schools throughout the state. The College of Alameda, in partnership will Modesto Junior College, has received a grant to open an early college high school this fall.