Can you ask a candidate's age or graduation year?
Asking age directly is off-limits, and asking graduation years is risky because it's used to infer age. Ask about the qualifications the job actually needs instead.
Federal law (the ADEA) protects applicants 40 and older, and questions that reveal age (birth date, graduation year, “how much longer do you plan to work”) invite age-discrimination claims even when asked innocently.
If what you actually need is a credential or years of experience, ask for that directly. It's lawful, and it's a better signal anyway.
Risky phrasing
“What year did you graduate?”
Compliant rewrite
Do you have the degree or equivalent experience this role requires?
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