Reading comprehension is a crucial skill for EFL students, yet many struggle with identifying main ideas, understanding vocabulary in context, and developing reading confidence. Peer tutoring has emerged as an effective collaborative learning strategy to address these challenges, as supported by prior research highlighting its benefits for both academic and social development. This study aimed to explore the influence of peer tutoring on EFL students’ reading comprehension skills, their perceptions of the peer tutoring method, and the challenges they encountered during peer tutoring sessions in a university setting. A qualitative research approach was employed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of participants who had experienced peer tutoring during courses that involved peer tutoring as one of the teaching instruction. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes emerging from participants’ responses. The findings revealed that peer tutoring positively influenced students’ analytical abilities, vocabulary and pronunciation development, and reading confidence. Participants perceived the method as fostering a supportive and collaborative learning environment, although they recommended clearer structure, defined roles, and occasional instructor guidance for improvement. Challenges included communication barriers, group dynamics issues, and knowledge limitations of peers, which at times hindered the effectiveness of the sessions. Peer tutoring was found to be a valuable strategy for enhancing EFL students’ reading comprehension, promoting active engagement, and building learner confidence. The study implies that while peer tutoring has clear academic and social benefits, its success depends on structured planning, balanced group participation, and adequate support for peer tutors. These insights can inform the design of peer-assisted learning programs in university-level EFL contexts to optimize both cognitive and affective learning outcomes.