Last year’s law school admission cycle started out with a bang but petered out to a whimper by the end. So far, this cycle is starting with a whisper.

At the end of the cycle, applicants for 2022 ended up being 0.4% fewer than they were in 2020 after significantly beating 2020 numbers and then steadily narrowing that gap throughout the cycle. This cycle is opening with a 3.2% decrease in applicants compared with two years ago, according to Oct. 12 Law School Admission Council data.