diff --git a/django/db/models/query.py b/django/db/models/query.py
index 2e62b85602..bd2cf8dbaa 100644
--- a/django/db/models/query.py
+++ b/django/db/models/query.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import warnings
 
 from django.db import connection, transaction
 from django.db.models.fields import DateField, FieldDoesNotExist
-from django.db.models.query_utils import Q, EmptyResultSet, not_q
+from django.db.models.query_utils import Q, not_q
 from django.db.models import signals, sql
 from django.dispatch import dispatcher
 from django.utils.datastructures import SortedDict
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ from django.utils.datastructures import SortedDict
 CHUNK_SIZE = 100
 ITER_CHUNK_SIZE = CHUNK_SIZE
 
+# Pull into this namespace for backwards compatibility
+EmptyResultSet = sql.EmptyResultSet
+
 class _QuerySet(object):
     "Represents a lazy database lookup for a set of objects"
     def __init__(self, model=None, query=None):
diff --git a/django/db/models/query_utils.py b/django/db/models/query_utils.py
index 003628ad94..6f1b860f21 100644
--- a/django/db/models/query_utils.py
+++ b/django/db/models/query_utils.py
@@ -9,12 +9,6 @@ from copy import deepcopy
 
 from django.utils import tree
 
-class EmptyResultSet(Exception):
-    """
-    Raised when a QuerySet cannot contain any data.
-    """
-    pass
-
 class QueryWrapper(object):
     """
     A type that indicates the contents are an SQL fragment and the associate
diff --git a/django/db/models/sql/__init__.py b/django/db/models/sql/__init__.py
index ef8706c9df..7310982690 100644
--- a/django/db/models/sql/__init__.py
+++ b/django/db/models/sql/__init__.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 from query import *
 from subqueries import *
 from where import AND, OR
+from datastructures import EmptyResultSet
 
-__all__ = ['Query', 'AND', 'OR']
+__all__ = ['Query', 'AND', 'OR', 'EmptyResultSet']