Re #159
Concrete numbers can be seen by running the net price calculators on the various UC web sites. In the absence of merit scholarships, the minimum net price for OOS students is around $31,000. It looks like the example students in the article you linked had net prices larger than that (and the NM one had merit).
Of course, it can be cheaper for those with top end merit. But many schools are willing to subsidize the top students to attract them.