diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/import_export.py b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/import_export.py
index 30db35faf6..e1a0f613a1 100644
--- a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/import_export.py
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/import_export.py
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ from django_future.csrf import ensure_csrf_cookie
 from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
 from django.core.servers.basehttp import FileWrapper
 from django.core.files.temp import NamedTemporaryFile
-from django.views.decorators.http import require_http_methods
 from django.core.exceptions import SuspiciousOperation
+from django.views.decorators.http import require_http_methods, require_GET
 
 from mitxmako.shortcuts import render_to_response
 from auth.authz import create_all_course_groups
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ from util.json_request import JsonResponse
 from extract_tar import safetar_extractall
 
 
-__all__ = ['import_course', 'generate_export_course', 'export_course']
+__all__ = ['import_course', 'import_status', 'generate_export_course', 'export_course']
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -145,15 +145,15 @@ def import_course(request, org, course, name):
 
         else:   # This was the last chunk.
 
-            # 'Lock' with status info.
-            status_file = data_root / (course + filename + ".lock")
+            # Use sessions to keep info about import progress
+            session_status = request.session.setdefault("import_status", {})
+            key = org + course + filename
+            session_status[key] = 1
+            request.session.modified = True
 
-            # Do everything from now on in a with-context, to be sure we've
-            # properly cleaned up.
-            with wfile(status_file, course_dir):
-
-                with open(status_file, 'w+') as sf:
-                    sf.write("Extracting")
+            # Do everything from now on in a try-finally block to make sure
+            # everything is properly cleaned up.
+            try:
 
                 tar_file = tarfile.open(temp_filepath)
                 try:
@@ -167,8 +167,8 @@ def import_course(request, org, course, name):
                         status=400
                     )
 
-                with open(status_file, 'w+') as sf:
-                    sf.write("Verifying")
+                session_status[key] = 2
+                request.session.modified = True
 
                 # find the 'course.xml' file
                 dirpath = None
@@ -221,12 +221,15 @@ def import_course(request, org, course, name):
 
                 logging.debug('new course at {0}'.format(course_items[0].location))
 
-                with open(status_file, 'w') as sf:
-                    sf.write("Updating course")
+                session_status[key] = 3
+                request.session.modified = True
 
                 create_all_course_groups(request.user, course_items[0].location)
                 logging.debug('created all course groups at {0}'.format(course_items[0].location))
 
+            finally:
+                shutil.rmtree(course_dir)
+
             return JsonResponse({'Status': 'OK'})
     else:
         course_module = modulestore().get_item(location)
@@ -240,33 +243,27 @@ def import_course(request, org, course, name):
             })
         })
 
+@require_GET
 @ensure_csrf_cookie
 @login_required
-def get_import_status(request, course, filename):
+def import_status(request, org, course, name):
     """
     Returns an integer corresponding to the status of a file import. These are:
 
-        0 : No status file found (import done or upload still in progress)
+        0 : No status info found (import done or upload still in progress)
         1 : Extracting file
         2 : Validating.
         3 : Importing to mongo
 
-        4 : Error reading file (e.g., converting contents to int)
-
     """
-    data_root = path(settings.GITHUB_REPO_ROOT)
-    status_file = data_root / (course + filename + ".lock")
-    if not os.path.isfile(status_file):
-        return JsonResponse({"ImportStatus": 0 })
-
-    with open(status_file, "r") as f:
-        try:
-            status = int(f.read())
-        except ValueError:
-            status = 4
-        return JsonResponse({"ImportStatus": status})
 
+    try:
+        session_status = request.session["import_status"]
+        status = session_status[org + course + name]
+    except KeyError:
+        status = 0
 
+    return JsonResponse({"ImportStatus": status })
 
 
 @ensure_csrf_cookie
diff --git a/cms/static/sass/views/_import.scss b/cms/static/sass/views/_import.scss
index d342abe8bd..2e0e4a5e95 100644
--- a/cms/static/sass/views/_import.scss
+++ b/cms/static/sass/views/_import.scss
@@ -121,6 +121,11 @@
   }
 }
 
+div.status-info-block {
+    display: none;
+    text-align: left;
+}
+
 .not-started {
   opacity: 0.4;
 }
diff --git a/cms/templates/import.html b/cms/templates/import.html
index cc5786bf8d..bd997ffcbe 100644
--- a/cms/templates/import.html
+++ b/cms/templates/import.html
@@ -35,24 +35,18 @@
         <input type="file" name="course-data" class="file-input" >
         <input type="submit" value="${_('Replace my course with the one above')}" class="submit-button" >
         <input type="hidden" name="csrfmiddlewaretoken" value="${csrf_token}">
-        <div id="status-infos" class="status-infos">
-            <p class="status-info in-progress">
+        <div id="status-info-block" class="status-info-block">
+            <p class="status-info not-started">
+            <i class="icon-check-empty"></i> 
             Unpacking
-            <span class="loading-dots">.</span>
-            <span class="loading-dots">.</span>
-            <span class="loading-dots">.</span>
             </p>
             <p class="status-info not-started">
+            <i class="icon-check-empty"></i> 
             Verifying
-            <span class="loading-dots">.</span>
-            <span class="loading-dots">.</span>
-            <span class="loading-dots">.</span>
             </p>
             <p class="status-info not-started">
+            <i class="icon-check-empty"></i> 
             Importing
-            <span class="loading-dots">.</span>
-            <span class="loading-dots">.</span>
-            <span class="loading-dots">.</span>
             </p>
         </div>
         <div class="progress-bar">
@@ -69,6 +63,7 @@
 <script>
 require(["jquery", "jquery.fileupload"], function($) {
 
+var file;
 var bar = $('.progress-bar');
 var fill = $('.progress-fill');
 var percent = $('.percent');
@@ -78,6 +73,8 @@ var submitBtn = $('.submit-button');
 
 var allStats = $('#status-infos');
 
+var feedbackUrl = "${reverse('import_status', kwargs=dict(org=context_course.location.org, course=context_course.location.course, name='fillerName'))}"
+
 
 $('#fileupload').fileupload({
 
@@ -90,7 +87,7 @@ $('#fileupload').fileupload({
 
     add: function(e, data) {
         submitBtn.unbind('click');
-        var file = data.files[0];
+        file = data.files[0];
         if (file.name.match(/tar\.gz$/)) {
             submitBtn.click(function(e){
                 e.preventDefault();
@@ -110,10 +107,25 @@ $('#fileupload').fileupload({
     },
 
     progressall: function(e, data){
-        var percentVal = parseInt(data.loaded / data.total * 100, 10) + "%";
-        bar.show();
-        fill.width(percentVal);
-        percent.html(percentVal);
+        var doneAt;
+        var percentInt = data.loaded / data.total * 100
+        var percentVal = parseInt(percentInt, 10) + "%";
+        // Firefox makes ProgressEvent.loaded equal ProgressEvent.total only
+        // after receiving a response from the server (see Mozilla bug 637002),
+        // so for Firefox we jump the gun a little.
+        if (navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().indexOf('firefox') > -1) {
+            doneAt = 95;
+        } else {
+            doneAt = 99;
+        }
+        if (percentInt >= doneAt) {
+            bar.hide();
+            startServerFeedback(feedbackUrl.replace("fillerName", file.name));
+        } else {
+            bar.show();
+            fill.width(percentVal);
+            percent.html(percentVal);
+        }
     },
     done: function(e, data){
         bar.hide();
diff --git a/cms/urls.py b/cms/urls.py
index 3f0a6f3076..43358e5f35 100644
--- a/cms/urls.py
+++ b/cms/urls.py
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ urlpatterns = ('',  # nopep8
         'contentstore.views.course_index', name='course_index'),
     url(r'^(?P<org>[^/]+)/(?P<course>[^/]+)/import/(?P<name>[^/]+)$',
         'contentstore.views.import_course', name='import_course'),
+    url(r'^(?P<org>[^/]+)/(?P<course>[^/]+)/import_status/(?P<name>[^/]+)$',
+        'contentstore.views.import_status', name='import_status'),
 
     url(r'^(?P<org>[^/]+)/(?P<course>[^/]+)/export/(?P<name>[^/]+)$',
         'contentstore.views.export_course', name='export_course'),