diff --git a/cms/urls.py b/cms/urls.py
index 15aa11ba8f..b5badb89b8 100644
--- a/cms/urls.py
+++ b/cms/urls.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 from django.conf import settings
-from django.conf.urls.defaults import patterns, include, url
+from django.conf.urls import patterns, include, url
 
 import django.contrib.auth.views
 
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/util/json_request.py b/common/djangoapps/util/json_request.py
index c2fad16d70..391905e574 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/util/json_request.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/util/json_request.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ def expect_json(view_function):
         if request.META['CONTENT_TYPE'] == "application/json":
             cloned_request = copy.copy(request)
             cloned_request.POST = cloned_request.POST.copy()
-            cloned_request.POST.update(json.loads(request.raw_post_data))
+            cloned_request.POST.update(json.loads(request.body))
             return view_function(cloned_request, *args, **kwargs)
         else:
             return view_function(request, *args, **kwargs)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/heartbeat/urls.py b/lms/djangoapps/heartbeat/urls.py
index f8047eb00a..6049374dac 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/heartbeat/urls.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/heartbeat/urls.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from django.conf.urls.defaults import *
+from django.conf.urls import *
 
 urlpatterns = patterns('',
     url(r'^$', 'heartbeat.views.heartbeat', name='heartbeat'),
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/simplewiki/urls.py b/lms/djangoapps/simplewiki/urls.py
index 6179345f9a..cf243e0bd3 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/simplewiki/urls.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/simplewiki/urls.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from django.conf.urls.defaults import patterns, url
+from django.conf.urls import patterns, url
 
 namespace_regex = r"[a-zA-Z\d._-]+"
 article_slug = r'/(?P<article_path>' + namespace_regex + r'/[a-zA-Z\d_-]*)'
diff --git a/lms/envs/common.py b/lms/envs/common.py
index bd77e711b3..105df97b1b 100644
--- a/lms/envs/common.py
+++ b/lms/envs/common.py
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ TEMPLATE_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS = (
     'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
     #'django.core.context_processors.i18n',
     'askbot.user_messages.context_processors.user_messages',#must be before auth
-    'django.core.context_processors.auth', #this is required for admin
+    'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth', #this is required for admin
     'django.core.context_processors.csrf', #necessary for csrf protection
 )
 
diff --git a/lms/urls.py b/lms/urls.py
index 0d6b3b64b9..bb3952b73c 100644
--- a/lms/urls.py
+++ b/lms/urls.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 from django.conf import settings
-from django.conf.urls.defaults import patterns, include, url
+from django.conf.urls import patterns, include, url
 from django.contrib import admin
 from django.conf.urls.static import static
 
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 33b2bfeb05..ef16d2c577 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-django<1.4
+django>=1.4,<1.5
 pip
 numpy
 scipy