Average Starting Salary. College graduates with bachelor's degrees had an average starting salary of $48,288 in 2010, according to the fall 2010 salary survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.This compared with an average starting salary of $48,633 for the class of 2009.etroleum engineering was the college major with the highest starting salary, according to the PayScale 2010-11 College Salary Report. Graduates with this bachelor's degree earned a median starting salary of $93,000.