For new UC admits, how good was your merit aid scholarships?

UC’s give little to no financial aid (need-based or merit) to OOS students. You should expect to pay full fees at $65K/year to attend. I advise you to run the Net price calculator for all UC’s of interest.
Regent and Chancellor scholarships are the main merit scholarships found at the UC’s and they do have a need-based aid component for in-state students. Here is some information:

UC Regents Scholarships and amounts:
Amount: Awards vary by campus and are not transferable if you transfer to another UC campus.

  • UC Berkley $2,500
  • UC Davis $7,500
  • UC Irvine $5,000 edited with updated amount
  • UCLA $2,000
  • UC Merced $7,000
  • UC Riverside $10,000
  • UC San Diego $2,000
  • UC Santa Barbara $6,000
  • UC Santa Cruz $5,000

In addition, certain perks are provided to Regents recipients: priority registration, extended library privileges, honors dormitories, faculty mentorship, and others, dependent upon campus.

Number of Scholarships Awarded: Varies annually—students in the top 1-2% of the applicant pool are considered for the scholarship.

Eligible Students: Entering freshman or transfer student who demonstrate academic excellence (based upon GPA, standardized test scores, and other academic criteria) along with personal accomplishments. Must be a US Citizen, Permanent Resident or CA Dream Act Student. Students must be enrolled full time and maintain a 3.25 GPA in order to continue receiving the scholarship.