diff --git a/course/grades.py b/course/grades.py
index 8006464082cbaf68a91922e650528af4c4274da3..ccfb1aa0ff9332ed1c6dae3717580f670dd5f00d 100644
--- a/course/grades.py
+++ b/course/grades.py
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ from django.db import connection
 from django import forms
 from django.db import transaction
 from django.utils.timezone import now
+from django import http
 
 from courseflow.utils import StyledForm
 from crispy_forms.layout import Submit
@@ -189,32 +190,26 @@ class GradeInfo:
         self.grade_state_machine = grade_state_machine
 
 
-@course_view
-def view_gradebook(pctx):
-    if pctx.role not in [
-            participation_role.instructor,
-            participation_role.teaching_assistant]:
-        raise PermissionDenied("must be instructor or TA to view grades")
-
+def get_grade_table(course):
     # NOTE: It's important that these queries are sorted consistently,
     # also consistently with the code below.
     grading_opps = list((GradingOpportunity.objects
             .filter(
-                course=pctx.course,
+                course=course,
                 shown_in_grade_book=True,
                 )
             .order_by("identifier")))
 
     participations = list(Participation.objects
             .filter(
-                course=pctx.course,
+                course=course,
                 status=participation_status.active)
             .order_by("id")
             .select_related("user"))
 
     grade_changes = list(GradeChange.objects
             .filter(
-                opportunity__course=pctx.course,
+                opportunity__course=course,
                 opportunity__shown_in_grade_book=True)
             .order_by(
                 "participation__id",
@@ -260,6 +255,18 @@ def view_gradebook(pctx):
 
         grade_table.append(grade_row)
 
+    return participations, grading_opps, grade_table
+
+
+@course_view
+def view_gradebook(pctx):
+    if pctx.role not in [
+            participation_role.instructor,
+            participation_role.teaching_assistant]:
+        raise PermissionDenied("must be instructor or TA to view grades")
+
+    participations, grading_opps, grade_table = get_grade_table(pctx.course)
+
     grade_table = sorted(zip(participations, grade_table),
             key=lambda (participation, grades):
                 (participation.user.last_name.lower(),
@@ -272,6 +279,38 @@ def view_gradebook(pctx):
         "grade_state_change_types": grade_state_change_types,
         })
 
+
+@course_view
+def export_gradebook_csv(pctx):
+    if pctx.role not in [
+            participation_role.instructor,
+            participation_role.teaching_assistant]:
+        raise PermissionDenied("must be instructor or TA to export grades")
+
+    participations, grading_opps, grade_table = get_grade_table(pctx.course)
+
+    from six import BytesIO
+    csvfile = BytesIO()
+
+    import unicodecsv
+    fieldnames = ['user_name', 'last_name', 'first_name'] + [
+            gopp.identifier for gopp in grading_opps]
+
+    writer = unicodecsv.writer(csvfile, encoding="utf-8")
+    writer.writerow(fieldnames)
+
+    for participation, grades in zip(participations, grade_table):
+        writer.writerow([
+            participation.user.username,
+            participation.user.last_name,
+            participation.user.first_name,
+            ] + [grade_info.grade_state_machine.stringify_machine_readable_state()
+                for grade_info in grades])
+
+    return http.HttpResponse(
+            csvfile.getvalue(),
+            content_type="text/plain; charset=utf-8")
+
 # }}}
 
 
diff --git a/course/models.py b/course/models.py
index c77d8f115850f04c56163052c333d3deaa5fc1b9..1061d73ff4bf6383f7ce1cc636090a9208a9f3ca 100644
--- a/course/models.py
+++ b/course/models.py
@@ -750,6 +750,19 @@ class GradeStateMachine(object):
         else:
             return "(other state)"
 
+    def stringify_machine_readable_state(self):
+        if self.state is None:
+            return u"NONE"
+        elif self.state == grade_state_change_types.exempt:
+            return "EXEMPT"
+        elif self.state == grade_state_change_types.graded:
+            if self.valid_percentages:
+                return "%.3f" % self.percentage()
+            else:
+                return u"NONE"
+        else:
+            return u"OTHER_STATE"
+
     def stringify_percentage(self):
         if self.state == grade_state_change_types.graded:
             if self.valid_percentages:
diff --git a/course/templates/course/course-base.html b/course/templates/course/course-base.html
index ec9d0bc5eb8eb05377341da8cd06c95c4160398a..53190fa8ad06c435fdb60abd20fb4214d3cccff5 100644
--- a/course/templates/course/course-base.html
+++ b/course/templates/course/course-base.html
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
         <li><a href="{% url "course.grades.view_participant_list" course.identifier %}">List of Participants</a></li>
         <li><a href="{% url "course.grades.view_grading_opportunity_list" course.identifier %}">List of Grading Opportunities</a></li>
         <li><a href="{% url "course.grades.view_gradebook" course.identifier %}">Grade book</a></li>
+        <li><a href="{% url "course.grades.export_gradebook_csv" course.identifier %}">Grade book (CSV export)</a></li>
       {% endif %}
       {% if role == pr.instructor %}
         <li><a href="{% url "course.grades.import_grades" course.identifier %}">Import Grades</a></li>
diff --git a/courseflow/urls.py b/courseflow/urls.py
index c689297a9b448923aa751b225fa8263059d800bf..110a0c66fbf57ad8c03f501998d79758b22a7028 100644
--- a/courseflow/urls.py
+++ b/courseflow/urls.py
@@ -103,6 +103,10 @@ urlpatterns = patterns('',
         "/(?P<course_identifier>[-a-zA-Z0-9]+)"
         "/grading/overview/$",
         "course.grades.view_gradebook",),
+    url(r"^course"
+        "/(?P<course_identifier>[-a-zA-Z0-9]+)"
+        "/grading/overview/csv/$",
+        "course.grades.export_gradebook_csv",),
     url(r"^course"
         "/(?P<course_identifier>[-a-zA-Z0-9]+)"
         "/grading/by-opportunity"
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 7541d5a3a5c374d29aef6207ea0c979c192c836b..6736268c475386fc6dc6c7b2fbb2dab849ce5dc6 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -52,3 +52,6 @@ docker-py
 # For code highlighting, required via the CodeHilite extension to
 # Python-Markdown
 pygments
+
+# For grade export
+unicodecsv