diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/models/settings/course_details.py b/cms/djangoapps/models/settings/course_details.py
index 3f0c87917a..884a4e4fef 100644
--- a/cms/djangoapps/models/settings/course_details.py
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/models/settings/course_details.py
@@ -153,9 +153,9 @@ class CourseDetails(object):
         if not raw_video:
             return None
 
-        keystring_matcher = re.search('(?<=embed/)[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+', raw_video)
+        keystring_matcher = re.search(r'(?<=embed/)[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+', raw_video)
         if keystring_matcher is None:
-            keystring_matcher = re.search('<?=\d+:[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+', raw_video)
+            keystring_matcher = re.search(r'<?=\d+:[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+', raw_video)
 
         if keystring_matcher:
             return keystring_matcher.group(0)
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/set_staff.py b/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/set_staff.py
index 30d0483f50..869e37f13b 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/set_staff.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/set_staff.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
             raise CommandError('Usage is set_staff {0}'.format(self.args))
 
         for user in args:
-            if re.match('[^@]+@[^@]+\.[^@]+', user):
+            if re.match(r'[^@]+@[^@]+\.[^@]+', user):
                 try:
                     v = User.objects.get(email=user)
                 except:
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/student/views.py b/common/djangoapps/student/views.py
index de3e52b080..4da7b9d789 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/student/views.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/student/views.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import feedparser
 import json
 import logging
 import random
+import re
 import string
 import urllib
 import uuid
@@ -95,9 +96,8 @@ def course_from_id(course_id):
     course_loc = CourseDescriptor.id_to_location(course_id)
     return modulestore().get_instance(course_id, course_loc)
 
-import re
-day_pattern = re.compile('\s\d+,\s')
-multimonth_pattern = re.compile('\s?\-\s?\S+\s')
+day_pattern = re.compile(r'\s\d+,\s')
+multimonth_pattern = re.compile(r'\s?\-\s?\S+\s')
 
 
 def get_date_for_press(publish_date):
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/terrain/steps.py b/common/djangoapps/terrain/steps.py
index f31be894f9..e69476a5b7 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/terrain/steps.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/terrain/steps.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ from logging import getLogger
 logger = getLogger(__name__)
 
 
-@step(u'I wait (?:for )?"(\d+)" seconds?$')
+@step(r'I wait (?:for )?"(\d+)" seconds?$')
 def wait(step, seconds):
     world.wait(seconds)
 
diff --git a/common/lib/capa/capa/capa_problem.py b/common/lib/capa/capa/capa_problem.py
index 2a9f3d82a3..d620bac60a 100644
--- a/common/lib/capa/capa/capa_problem.py
+++ b/common/lib/capa/capa/capa_problem.py
@@ -103,8 +103,8 @@ class LoncapaProblem(object):
         self.input_state = state.get('input_state', {})
 
         # Convert startouttext and endouttext to proper <text></text>
-        problem_text = re.sub("startouttext\s*/", "text", problem_text)
-        problem_text = re.sub("endouttext\s*/", "/text", problem_text)
+        problem_text = re.sub(r"startouttext\s*/", "text", problem_text)
+        problem_text = re.sub(r"endouttext\s*/", "/text", problem_text)
         self.problem_text = problem_text
 
         # parse problem XML file into an element tree
diff --git a/common/lib/capa/capa/customrender.py b/common/lib/capa/capa/customrender.py
index 9d7ff719ac..f7d586c9d5 100644
--- a/common/lib/capa/capa/customrender.py
+++ b/common/lib/capa/capa/customrender.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class MathRenderer(object):
     tags = ['math']
 
     def __init__(self, system, xml):
-        '''
+        r'''
         Render math using latex-like formatting.
 
         Examples:
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class MathRenderer(object):
         self.system = system
         self.xml = xml
 
-        mathstr = re.sub('\$(.*)\$', r'[mathjaxinline]\1[/mathjaxinline]', xml.text)
+        mathstr = re.sub(r'\$(.*)\$', r'[mathjaxinline]\1[/mathjaxinline]', xml.text)
         mtag = 'mathjax'
         if not r'\displaystyle' in mathstr:
             mtag += 'inline'
diff --git a/common/lib/capa/capa/inputtypes.py b/common/lib/capa/capa/inputtypes.py
index 446b832dd7..f026568da1 100644
--- a/common/lib/capa/capa/inputtypes.py
+++ b/common/lib/capa/capa/inputtypes.py
@@ -856,7 +856,7 @@ class ImageInput(InputTypeBase):
         """
         if value is of the form [x,y] then parse it and send along coordinates of previous answer
         """
-        m = re.match('\[([0-9]+),([0-9]+)]',
+        m = re.match(r'\[([0-9]+),([0-9]+)]',
                      self.value.strip().replace(' ', ''))
         if m:
             # Note: we subtract 15 to compensate for the size of the dot on the screen.
diff --git a/common/lib/capa/capa/responsetypes.py b/common/lib/capa/capa/responsetypes.py
index be70e3866c..97319bdb9e 100644
--- a/common/lib/capa/capa/responsetypes.py
+++ b/common/lib/capa/capa/responsetypes.py
@@ -1902,8 +1902,7 @@ class ImageResponse(LoncapaResponse):
             if not given:  # No answer to parse. Mark as incorrect and move on
                 continue
             # parse given answer
-            m = re.match(
-                '\[([0-9]+),([0-9]+)]', given.strip().replace(' ', ''))
+            m = re.match(r'\[([0-9]+),([0-9]+)]', given.strip().replace(' ', ''))
             if not m:
                 raise Exception('[capamodule.capa.responsetypes.imageinput] '
                                 'error grading %s (input=%s)' % (aid, given))
@@ -1918,7 +1917,7 @@ class ImageResponse(LoncapaResponse):
                     # parse expected answer
                     # TODO: Compile regexp on file load
                     m = re.match(
-                        '[\(\[]([0-9]+),([0-9]+)[\)\]]-[\(\[]([0-9]+),([0-9]+)[\)\]]',
+                        r'[\(\[]([0-9]+),([0-9]+)[\)\]]-[\(\[]([0-9]+),([0-9]+)[\)\]]',
                         solution_rectangle.strip().replace(' ', ''))
                     if not m:
                         msg = 'Error in problem specification! cannot parse rectangle in %s' % (
diff --git a/common/lib/symmath/symmath/formula.py b/common/lib/symmath/symmath/formula.py
index a926d9ae45..ca4e20ace3 100644
--- a/common/lib/symmath/symmath/formula.py
+++ b/common/lib/symmath/symmath/formula.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ class dot(sympy.operations.LatticeOp):	 # my dot product
 
 
 def _print_dot(self, expr):
-    return '{((%s) \cdot (%s))}' % (expr.args[0], expr.args[1])
+    return r'{((%s) \cdot (%s))}' % (expr.args[0], expr.args[1])
 
 LatexPrinter._print_dot = _print_dot
 
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ class formula(object):
         return xml
 
     def preprocess_pmathml(self, xml):
-        '''
+        r'''
         Pre-process presentation MathML from ASCIIMathML to make it more
         acceptable for SnuggleTeX, and also to accomodate some sympy
         conventions (eg hat(i) for \hat{i}).
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py
index a704fc2ae8..ef5fa617de 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/xml.py
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 # into the cms from xml
 def clean_out_mako_templating(xml_string):
     xml_string = xml_string.replace('%include', 'include')
-    xml_string = re.sub("(?m)^\s*%.*$", '', xml_string)
+    xml_string = re.sub(r"(?m)^\s*%.*$", '', xml_string)
     return xml_string
 
 
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_stringify.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_stringify.py
index 6c2e44eed5..49852ee233 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_stringify.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_stringify.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ def test_stringify():
 
 
 def test_stringify_again():
-    html = """<html name="Voltage Source Answer" >A voltage source is non-linear!
+    html = r"""<html name="Voltage Source Answer" >A voltage source is non-linear!
 <div align="center">
     <img src="/static/images/circuits/voltage-source.png"/>
     \(V=V_C\)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/course_wiki/views.py b/lms/djangoapps/course_wiki/views.py
index 6ab106ed70..74ef7d4a74 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/course_wiki/views.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/course_wiki/views.py
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ def course_wiki_redirect(request, course_id):
     if not course_slug:
         log.exception("This course is improperly configured. The slug cannot be empty.")
         valid_slug = False
-    if re.match('^[-\w\.]+$', course_slug) is None:
+    if re.match(r'^[-\w\.]+$', course_slug) is None:
         log.exception("This course is improperly configured. The slug can only contain letters, numbers, periods or hyphens.")
         valid_slug = False
 
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/foldit/views.py b/lms/djangoapps/foldit/views.py
index da361a2a82..76d9bfff98 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/foldit/views.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/foldit/views.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ def foldit_ops(request):
             # To allow for fixes without breaking this, the regex should only
             # match unquoted strings,
             a = re.compile(r':([a-zA-Z]*),')
-            puzzle_scores_json = re.sub(a, ':"\g<1>",', puzzle_scores_json)
+            puzzle_scores_json = re.sub(a, r':"\g<1>",', puzzle_scores_json)
             puzzle_scores = json.loads(puzzle_scores_json)
             responses.append(save_scores(request.user, puzzle_scores))