Perception of the impact of emotional intelligence on the academic performance of university students.

Introduction: emotional intelligence in university students is crucial for managing stress, improving relationships, and making effective decisions, which optimizes their academic performance and personal well-being.Objective: To analyze the perception of the impact of Emotional Intelligence on the academic performance of students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at a public institution in Ecuador.Methods: a quantitative approach with a descriptive scope was adopted. Additionally, a cross-sectional observational design facilitated data collection at a single point in time, evaluating ordinal variables through a structured questionnaire; a chi-square test was applied to analyze differences in proportions, and the adjusted Bonferroni method was used to determine the magnitude of these differences. The significance level for both tests was set at p < 0.05.Results: regarding self-regulation, more than half of the students, 51.06%, believe that this dimension contributes to having self-discipline. Furthermore, 42.55% consider that authorities show interest in Emotional Intelligence to control students' emotions. Also, 72.46% of students believe that understanding and guiding feelings effectively and positively motivates participation and improves academic performance. Similarly, 72.33% consider that teachers, as advisors, should observe the problems students face.Conclusions: students consider that Emotional Intelligence has a positive and significant impact on managing their learning process.