The post mentioned the applicants were SF residents (SF is not in Santa Clara County) and implied it was a 4.0 recalculated GPA, rather than 4.0 UW GPA. That said, yes there are different thresholds for different groups, even within the same major. The 2020 results could instead be the following.
SJSU CS Applicant 1 – SJ resident with 3.9 UC GPA* + 1500 SAT – Does not meet EI threshold and is Not Accepted
SJSU CS Applicant 2 – SF resident with 4.0 UC GPA* + 1600 SAT – Does not meet EI threshold and is Not Accepted
SJSU CS Applicant 3 – NYS resident with 4.0 UW + all courses honors + 1600 SAT – Does not meet EI threshold and is Not Accepted
*Recalculated UC GPA prior to Santa Clara county bonus, UC GPA has maximum of >4.0 with eligible honors classes
The point is even near perfect stats that are far beyond the stat range of the college does not guarantee acceptance at SJSU, which is a public college that uses stat based admission and had a >60% admit rate in the most recent CDS. Rather than look at the overall admit rate and overall stat ranges, one needs to consider the chance of admission for a particular student. At SJSU, both choice of major and residency are important influences that can make a particular student’s chance of acceptance dramatically different from the overall averages for the college. A similar statement could be made at many other public colleges.