diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/certificates/admin.py b/lms/djangoapps/certificates/admin.py
index 54eccb0ac8..923b412752 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/certificates/admin.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/certificates/admin.py
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ class GeneratedCertificateAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
     """
     Django admin customizations for GeneratedCertificate model
     """
+    raw_id_fields = ('user',)
     search_fields = ('course_id', 'user__username')
     list_display = ('id', 'course_id', 'mode', 'user')