Unlikely, unless you ask for a ridiculously high number. In which case the applicant appears arrogant or out of touch, and the employer isn’t interested.
I agree asking this question to straight-out-of-college hires is unfair and unnecessary. At my firm we have a fixed offer for all fresh graduates. It does vary by role and location, but it’s a competitive package. We want everyone in a particular role to start at the same level.
The issue with adjusting for the COL - he’s seeking out a rotational and many of these companies list 8 or 10 cities in that same amount of states.
I like with @Mwfan1921 said - regardless of the # you still get an interview. That’s my hope - that the question is in the app because it’s there for all employees!!
Just remember…entry level engineers receive a TON of on the job training from their employers. It’s not like they can jump into a position and start doing the work independently. Their starting salaries often reflect this training period.
The key is to find out during the interview process what happens after the probationary/training period.
Entry level engineers at DHs company really are learning the ropes…and not all succeed in his branch of the business.
An alternate way of looking at this is to say that if the employer is so inclined, the kids should look somewhere else, if there is a choice. Over the long term, you want an employer that is not nickle and diming you.
In todays financial situation I don’t think I’d advise any student to just walk away. If you must put in a number, put in a reasonable number that you might be inclined to consider. Best strategy is to get multiple offers and see where your best match is.
This is why my wife is pushing him toward applying for rotational positions - to learn - she did one as an engineer and I did one in sales and marketing.
That said, one should always maximizing value if they can.
My main thrust was hitting the community up as it’s so knowledgeable when he was confused about the question.
Hopefully he goes and asks his career center.
From what I’ve read here and two PMs, it seems like the “published statistics” may be under reported - or since it includes all schools, that might include some lower paid jobs - in other words, $75K today might be underpaid - although that’s a hard concept for me to grasp 
He said one aero listing in MN showed a typical range of $74 - 83K in its job description. If they’re like my company - “under the mid point” - that would be $77-78K.
Thanks
IMO, I think it’s perfectly acceptable to ask the interviewer what the salary range is and if there are bonuses. I dont think recruiters will lie about the range or try to “low ball” a graduate. We’re talking about a few thousand here or there.
Also, not sure if this applies to new graduates but signing bonuses are also very common.
I asked y husband about this in engineering. He said, not where we live. And no moving expenses either.
Every one of my D’s engineering cohorts got signing bonuses and relo allowances. Most negotiable was the sign on bonus.
Likely dependent on geographic location and the type of engineering firm.
But good for the OP to know…something that can be asked if the son gets to that state of the interview process.
Do some research on Glassdoor, asks the career center, look at avg pay for the location and pick a number a bit above the avg. At my company, we will offer you more that you asked for if you asked for less than what others in similar positions already at the company are making.