It's not quite that simple. "In March, UC temporarily suspended the current standardized test requirement for fall 2021 applicants to mitigate impacts of COVID-

It's not quite that simple. "In March, UC temporarily suspended the current standardized test requirement for fall 2021 applicants to mitigate impacts of COVID-19 on students and schools, effectively making UC “test-optional” for that year." So the May decision had no immediate practical effect, since the requirement was already suspended. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university-california-board-regents-unanimously-approved-changes-standardized-testing https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university... In this case there was a coincidence, because California had started reconsidering the test requirement back in 2018, and the process happened to reach culmination in 2020... but not until after the pandemic started. The decision was also very much about guaranteeing spots for California residents in California schools.