diff --git a/lms/urls.py b/lms/urls.py
index 66b98b8502..01e1e87d14 100644
--- a/lms/urls.py
+++ b/lms/urls.py
@@ -922,11 +922,12 @@ urlpatterns += [
 
 if settings.DEBUG:
     urlpatterns += static(settings.STATIC_URL, document_root=settings.STATIC_ROOT)
-    urlpatterns += static(settings.MEDIA_URL, document_root=settings.MEDIA_ROOT)
+    # profile image urls must come before the media url to work
     urlpatterns += static(
         settings.PROFILE_IMAGE_BACKEND['options']['base_url'],
         document_root=settings.PROFILE_IMAGE_BACKEND['options']['location']
     )
+    urlpatterns += static(settings.MEDIA_URL, document_root=settings.MEDIA_ROOT)
 
 # UX reference templates
 urlpatterns += [