diff --git a/karma.conf.js b/karma.conf.js
index 89c684ca3..78920b538 100644
--- a/karma.conf.js
+++ b/karma.conf.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ module.exports = function(config) {
       'node_modules/angular-mocks/angular-mocks.js',
 
       'dist/select.js',
+      'dist/select.css',
       'test/helpers.js',
       'test/**/*.spec.js'
     ],
diff --git a/src/uiSelectController.js b/src/uiSelectController.js
index d6023d0b9..8831be235 100644
--- a/src/uiSelectController.js
+++ b/src/uiSelectController.js
@@ -2,11 +2,12 @@
  * Contains ui-select "intelligence".
  *
  * The goal is to limit dependency on the DOM whenever possible and
- * put as much logic in the controller (instead of the link functions) as possible so it can be easily tested.
+ * put as much logic in the controller (instead of the link functions) as possible so it can be
+ * easily tested.
  */
 uis.controller('uiSelectCtrl',
-  ['$scope', '$element', '$timeout', '$filter', '$$uisDebounce', 'uisRepeatParser', 'uiSelectMinErr', 'uiSelectConfig', '$parse', '$injector', '$window',
-  function($scope, $element, $timeout, $filter, $$uisDebounce, RepeatParser, uiSelectMinErr, uiSelectConfig, $parse, $injector, $window) {
+  ['$scope', '$element', '$timeout', '$filter', '$$uisDebounce', 'uisRepeatParser', 'uiSelectMinErr', 'uiSelectConfig', '$parse', '$injector', '$window', '$q',
+  function($scope, $element, $timeout, $filter, $$uisDebounce, RepeatParser, uiSelectMinErr, uiSelectConfig, $parse, $injector, $window, $q) {
 
   var ctrl = this;
 
@@ -92,83 +93,115 @@ uis.controller('uiSelectCtrl',
   function _resetSearchInput() {
     if (ctrl.resetSearchInput) {
       ctrl.search = EMPTY_SEARCH;
-      //reset activeIndex
-      if (!ctrl.multiple) {
-        if (ctrl.selected && ctrl.items.length) {
-          ctrl.activeIndex = _findIndex(ctrl.items, function(item){
-            return angular.equals(this, item);
-          }, ctrl.selected);
-        } else {
-          ctrl.activeIndex = 0;
-        }
+    }
+
+    _resetActiveIndex();
+  }
+
+  function _resetActiveIndex() {
+
+    if (!ctrl.multiple) {
+      if (ctrl.selected && ctrl.items.length) {
+        ctrl.activeIndex = _findIndex(ctrl.items, function(item){
+          return angular.equals(this, item);
+        }, ctrl.selected);
+      } else {
+        ctrl.activeIndex = 0;
       }
     }
   }
 
-    function _groupsFilter(groups, groupNames) {
-      var i, j, result = [];
-      for(i = 0; i < groupNames.length ;i++){
-        for(j = 0; j < groups.length ;j++){
-          if(groups[j].name == [groupNames[i]]){
-            result.push(groups[j]);
-          }
+  function _groupsFilter(groups, groupNames) {
+    var i, j, result = [];
+    for(i = 0; i < groupNames.length ;i++){
+      for(j = 0; j < groups.length ;j++){
+        if(groups[j].name == [groupNames[i]]){
+          result.push(groups[j]);
         }
       }
-      return result;
     }
+    return result;
+  }
 
   // When the user clicks on ui-select, displays the dropdown list
   ctrl.activate = function(initSearchValue, avoidReset) {
     if (!ctrl.disabled  && !ctrl.open) {
-      if(!avoidReset) _resetSearchInput();
-
-      $scope.$broadcast('uis:activate');
-      ctrl.open = true;
-      ctrl.activeIndex = ctrl.activeIndex >= ctrl.items.length ? 0 : ctrl.activeIndex;
-      // ensure that the index is set to zero for tagging variants
-      // that where first option is auto-selected
-      if ( ctrl.activeIndex === -1 && ctrl.taggingLabel !== false ) {
-        ctrl.activeIndex = 0;
-      }
 
-      var container = $element.querySelectorAll('.ui-select-choices-content');
-      var searchInput = $element.querySelectorAll('.ui-select-search');
-      if (ctrl.$animate && ctrl.$animate.on && ctrl.$animate.enabled(container[0])) {
-        var animateHandler = function(elem, phase) {
+      _displayDropdown(initSearchValue, avoidReset);
+    }
+    else if (ctrl.open && !ctrl.searchEnabled) {
+      // Close the selection if we don't have search enabled, and we click on the select again
+      ctrl.close();
+    }
+  };
+
+  function _displayDropdown(initSearchValue, avoidSearchReset) {
+    if(avoidSearchReset) {
+      _resetActiveIndex();
+    }
+    else {
+      _resetSearchInput();
+    }
+
+    $scope.$broadcast('uis:activate');
+    ctrl.open = true;
+
+    ctrl.activeIndex = ctrl.activeIndex >= ctrl.items.length ? 0 : ctrl.activeIndex;
+    // ensure that the index is set to zero for tagging variants
+    // that where first option is auto-selected
+    if ( ctrl.activeIndex === -1 && ctrl.taggingLabel !== false ) {
+      ctrl.activeIndex = 0;
+    }
+
+    var container = $element.querySelectorAll('.ui-select-choices-content');
+    var searchInput = $element.querySelectorAll('.ui-select-search');
+
+    if (_canAnimate(container)) {
+      // Only focus input after the animation has finished
+      _animateDropdown(searchInput, container)
+        .then(_focusWhenReady.bind(null, initSearchValue));
+    } else {
+      _focusWhenReady(initSearchValue);
+    }
+  }
+
+  function _canAnimate(element) {
+
+    return ctrl.$animate && ctrl.$animate.on && ctrl.$animate.enabled(element[0]);
+  }
+
+  function _animateDropdown(searchInput, container) {
+
+      return $q(function (resolve, reject) {
+
+        var animateHandler = function (elem, phase) {
           if (phase === 'start' && ctrl.items.length === 0) {
-            // Only focus input after the animation has finished
             ctrl.$animate.off('removeClass', searchInput[0], animateHandler);
-            $timeout(function () {
-              ctrl.focusSearchInput(initSearchValue);
-            });
-          } else if (phase === 'close') {
-            // Only focus input after the animation has finished
+            resolve();
+          }
+          else if (phase === 'close') {
             ctrl.$animate.off('enter', container[0], animateHandler);
-            $timeout(function () {
-              ctrl.focusSearchInput(initSearchValue);
-            });
+            resolve();
           }
         };
 
         if (ctrl.items.length > 0) {
           ctrl.$animate.on('enter', container[0], animateHandler);
-        } else {
+        }
+        else {
           ctrl.$animate.on('removeClass', searchInput[0], animateHandler);
         }
-      } else {
-        $timeout(function () {
-          ctrl.focusSearchInput(initSearchValue);
-          if(!ctrl.tagging.isActivated && ctrl.items.length > 1 && ctrl.open) {
-            _ensureHighlightVisible();
-          }
-        });
-      }
-    }
-    else if (ctrl.open && !ctrl.searchEnabled) {
-      // Close the selection if we don't have search enabled, and we click on the select again
-      ctrl.close();
+      });
     }
-  };
+
+  function _focusWhenReady(initSearchValue) {
+    $timeout(function () {
+      ctrl.focusSearchInput(initSearchValue);
+      if(!ctrl.tagging.isActivated && ctrl.items.length > 1 && ctrl.open) {
+        _ensureHighlightVisible();
+      }
+    });
+  }
 
   ctrl.focusSearchInput = function (initSearchValue) {
     ctrl.search = initSearchValue || ctrl.search;
@@ -298,7 +331,8 @@ uis.controller('uiSelectCtrl',
   /**
    * Typeahead mode: lets the user refresh the collection using his own function.
    *
-   * See Expose $select.search for external / remote filtering https://github.com/angular-ui/ui-select/pull/31
+   * See Expose $select.search for external / remote filtering
+   * https://github.com/angular-ui/ui-select/pull/31
    */
   ctrl.refresh = function(refreshAttr) {
     if (refreshAttr !== undefined) {
diff --git a/test/select.spec.js b/test/select.spec.js
index 7add0ade5..97f09e57d 100644
--- a/test/select.spec.js
+++ b/test/select.spec.js
@@ -3518,6 +3518,7 @@ describe('ui-select tests', function () {
       expect(scope.fetchFromServer.calls.any()).toEqual(true);
     });
   });
+
   describe('Test key down key up and activeIndex should skip disabled choice', function () {
     it('should ignore disabled items, going down', function () {
       var el = createUiSelect({ uiDisableChoice: "person.age == 12" });
@@ -3629,4 +3630,105 @@ describe('ui-select tests', function () {
       });
     });
   });
+
+  describe('Test scrolling to highlighted item after opening', function () {
+
+    beforeEach(function () {
+
+      scope.people = scope.people.concat([
+        { name: 'Elvis', email: 'elvis@email.com', group: 'Foo', age: 23 },
+        { name: 'Ace', email: 'ace@email.com', group: 'Foo', age: 30 },
+        { name: 'Mitchell', email: 'mitchell@email.com', group: 'Foo', age: 41 }
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('Should set ctrl.active index to the selected person index', function () {
+
+      var lastIndex = scope.people.length - 1;
+      scope.selection.selected = scope.people[lastIndex];
+
+      var el = createUiSelect();
+      clickMatch(el);
+
+      expect(el.scope().$select.activeIndex).toEqual(lastIndex);
+    });
+
+    it('Should set ctrl.active index to the selected with `resetSearchInput = false`', function () {
+
+      var lastIndex = scope.people.length - 1;
+      scope.selection.selected = scope.people[lastIndex];
+
+      var el = createUiSelect({ resetSearchInput: false});
+      clickMatch(el);
+
+      expect(el.scope().$select.activeIndex).toEqual(lastIndex);
+    });
+
+    it('Should scroll the last item into view with animation enabled', inject(function ($animate) {
+
+      // This test should be updated with proper animation triggering and testing
+      // tried with `ngAnimateMock` but NO animation is triggered on digest or flush
+
+      scope.selection.selected = scope.people.slice().pop();
+      var el = createUiSelect();
+      var choicesContentEl = $(el).find('.ui-select-choices-content').get(0);
+
+      spyOn($animate, 'enabled').and.returnValue(true);
+      spyOn($animate, 'on');
+
+      clickMatch(el);
+
+      var animationHandler = $animate.on.calls.mostRecent().args[2];
+      animationHandler(choicesContentEl, 'close');
+      $timeout.flush();
+
+      var optionEl = $(el).find('.ui-select-choices-row div:contains("Mitchell")').get(0);
+
+      expect(choicesContentEl.scrollTop).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+      expect(isScrolledIntoContainer(choicesContentEl, optionEl)).toEqual(true);
+    }));
+
+    it('Should scroll the last item into view with animation disabled', inject(function ($animate) {
+
+      spyOn($animate, 'enabled').and.returnValue(false);
+
+      scope.selection.selected = scope.people.slice().pop();
+
+      var el = createUiSelect();
+      clickMatch(el);
+      $timeout.flush();
+
+      var choicesContentEl = $(el).find('.ui-select-choices-content').get(0);
+      var optionEl = $(el).find('.ui-select-choices-row div:contains("Mitchell")').get(0);
+
+      expect(choicesContentEl.scrollTop).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+      expect(isScrolledIntoContainer(choicesContentEl, optionEl)).toEqual(true);
+    }));
+
+    it('Should scroll the last item into view with `resetSearchInput = false`', function () {
+
+      scope.selection.selected = scope.people.slice().pop();
+
+      var el = createUiSelect({ resetSearchInput: false});
+      clickMatch(el);
+      $timeout.flush();
+
+      var choicesContentEl = $(el).find('.ui-select-choices-content').get(0);
+      var optionEl = $(el).find('.ui-select-choices-row div:contains("Mitchell")').get(0);
+
+      expect(choicesContentEl.scrollTop).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+      expect(isScrolledIntoContainer(choicesContentEl, optionEl)).toEqual(true);
+    });
+
+    function isScrolledIntoContainer(container, item)
+    {
+      var scrollTop = container.scrollTop;
+      var scrollBottom = scrollTop + container.clientHeight;
+
+      var itemTop = item.offsetTop;
+      var itemBottom = itemTop + item.clientHeight;
+
+      return (scrollTop <= itemTop) && (itemBottom <= scrollBottom);
+    }
+  });
 });