Harsh truth: Higher education is facing a readiness gap it can’t ignore.
First-year students are arriving on campus less academically prepared than ever before. Retention rates are slipping, equity gaps are widening, and many students—especially first-gen and underserved populations—aren’t engaging with traditional academic support.
Faculty and administrators know the stakes: persistence and completion are on the line. What they may not realize is that the solution is already sitting on their campuses.
The Case for Peer Tutoring as a High-Impact Practice
“High-impact practices” (HIPs) are well-researched interventions that deepen learning and improve outcomes. Think undergraduate research, internships, service learning, and first-year seminars. According to Dr. George Kuh, founder of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), HIPs share three key traits:
- They require meaningful effort.
- They foster substantive interaction with peers and faculty.
- They expose students to diverse perspectives and reflection.
By that definition, peer tutoring checks every box.
- Meaningful effort: Tutoring requires active, engaged participation from both tutor and student.
- Interaction: Sessions are built on peer-to-peer learning and collaboration.
- Reflection: Students consolidate learning as they explain, question, and problem-solve together.
So why isn’t peer tutoring already recognized alongside internships and study abroad?
From “Extra Help” to Essential Strategy
For decades, tutoring has been framed as a remedial service for students who are “falling behind.” That stigma is outdated. Today, peer tutoring is one of the most scalable and equitable ways to deliver academic support and it has the data to prove it.
- At the University of Florida, at-risk students who engaged in weekly tutoring saw 19% higher grades compared to peers who didn’t.
- At Augsburg University, 66% of students using Knack reported it was their first time engaging in academic support—proof that peer tutoring reaches learners traditional centers often miss.
- Nationally, peer tutoring has been shown to improve not just grades, but also confidence, persistence, and belonging.
When tutoring is positioned as a high-impact practice, it stops being “extra help.” It becomes an equity driver, a retention strategy, and a workforce readiness tool all in one.
A Win-Win-Win Model
Peer tutoring doesn’t just benefit students receiving support.
- Tutors gain leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills. These are competencies employers consistently rank as most essential for career readiness.
- Campuses reduce administrative burden by mobilizing existing student talent instead of overextending staff.
- Institutions see measurable improvements in retention, DFW rates, and overall student success.
Why Now
The challenges facing higher ed, such as academic preparedness gaps, social isolation, and career readiness, aren’t going away. Institutions can’t afford to treat tutoring as an afterthought.
Recognizing peer tutoring as a high-impact practice elevates it from a “nice to have” service to a strategic lever for institutional success.
Final Thought
Peer tutoring already embodies what makes high-impact practices powerful: effort, interaction, reflection, and results. It’s time higher education leaders acknowledge what students already know—peer tutoring changes students’ college journeys.
And when scaled with intention, it changes institutions too.
Learn how Knack helps campuses scale equitable, high-impact peer tutoring. Visit joinknack.com to explore more.
