Perception and impact of university tutoring on academic performance: a case study at a Peruvian university

University tutoring is a key strategy for inclusive higher education, aimed at supporting students' academic performance and overall development. Its effectiveness, however, depends on tutor competencies, program structure, and students' contextual conditions. This study examines students' perceptions of tutoring and its relationship with satisfaction and academic performance at a public Peruvian university. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed using survey data from 5,930 undergraduate students across 18 faculties during 2022. Descriptive analyses, multiple regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted. Results show that students who participated in tutoring reported significantly higher satisfaction (<i>t</i> = 17.96, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and better academic performance. While the full regression model explained 40.3% of the variance, perceived tutoring impact alone accounted for approximately 8-9% in isolated models. Significant differences were observed across faculties, with students from biomedical fields reporting more favorable perceptions than those from social sciences and engineering. SEM analyses revealed that positive tutor perception is significantly associated with satisfaction, which in turn was associated with higher perceived academic impact. These relationships were moderated by students' socioeconomic status and employment condition. Overall, findings indicate that while university tutoring is positively associated with student outcomes, its pedagogical effectiveness remains limited by implementation factors. The results highlight the need for context-sensitive, professionally trained, and structurally differentiated tutoring programs that account for students' socioeconomic and labor conditions. This study provides large-scale empirical evidence from a Latin American context and offers practical insights for improving tutoring systems in higher education.