A survey by Hay Group has found that the banking crisis has not eaten into the starting pay of finance, accounting and engineering graduates. However, overall, average starting pay for fresh graduates has fallen marginally, from $2,458 last year to $2,453 in 2009. Ruth Chiang, director of career services at SMU, said preliminary estimates show about two-thirds of the university's 820 students who graduated in May and June have received job offers.