Letter of Recommendation for Business Analystics from Satisfied Client I'm looking at MSBA programs in the United States and have the two recommended academic references lined, but should get a third reference slot open. Between my previous jobs I worked freelance and had a client for about 6 months who was very satisfied with my work, and even offered if I ever needed a reference or testimonial from them to reach out.

Question:


Would a reference like this be acceptable?
How would this option compare to a third academic reference?
Would a reference like this be acceptable?


It would certainly complete your application and would likely be considered appropriate (though this is not my field and I cannot say for sure). 


  How would this option compare to a third academic reference?


It really depends on who the client is. If you built a website for a non-technical person, then they really couldn't say much other than "they did a nice job, were professional, etc." This reference won't count for much.

On the other hand, if this person can say "I'm the CTO of a company and deal with dozens of contractors per year; this one is the best I've had and displayed specific skills X, Y, and Z, etc.", then I don't think anyone will care that this person is not an academic.