diff --git a/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/SpringApplication.java b/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/SpringApplication.java
index 7e1a8338514..a3cf7b5c5ad 100644
--- a/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/SpringApplication.java
+++ b/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/SpringApplication.java
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ import org.springframework.core.env.MapPropertySource;
 import org.springframework.core.env.PropertySource;
 import org.springframework.core.env.SimpleCommandLinePropertySource;
 import org.springframework.core.env.StandardEnvironment;
+import org.springframework.core.io.DefaultResourceLoader;
 import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.core.io.ResourceLoader;
 import org.springframework.core.io.support.SpringFactoriesLoader;
@@ -442,8 +443,15 @@ public class SpringApplication {
 			}
 		}
 
-		if (context instanceof GenericApplicationContext && this.resourceLoader != null) {
-			((GenericApplicationContext) context).setResourceLoader(this.resourceLoader);
+		if (this.resourceLoader != null) {
+			if (context instanceof GenericApplicationContext) {
+				((GenericApplicationContext) context)
+						.setResourceLoader(this.resourceLoader);
+			}
+			if (context instanceof DefaultResourceLoader) {
+				((DefaultResourceLoader) context).setClassLoader(this.resourceLoader
+						.getClassLoader());
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/builder/SpringApplicationBuilderTests.java b/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/builder/SpringApplicationBuilderTests.java
index 4fe3210c1bc..33ffeab5b70 100644
--- a/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/builder/SpringApplicationBuilderTests.java
+++ b/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/builder/SpringApplicationBuilderTests.java
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@
 
 package org.springframework.boot.builder;
 
+import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URLClassLoader;
+
 import org.junit.After;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
@@ -23,6 +26,8 @@ import org.springframework.context.ConfigurableApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
 import org.springframework.context.support.StaticApplicationContext;
+import org.springframework.core.io.DefaultResourceLoader;
+import org.springframework.core.io.ResourceLoader;
 
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.instanceOf;
@@ -77,6 +82,31 @@ public class SpringApplicationBuilderTests {
 				any(ApplicationContext.class));
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void contextWithClassLoader() throws Exception {
+		SpringApplicationBuilder application = new SpringApplicationBuilder(
+				ExampleConfig.class).contextClass(SpyApplicationContext.class);
+		ClassLoader classLoader = new URLClassLoader(new URL[0], getClass()
+				.getClassLoader());
+		application.resourceLoader(new DefaultResourceLoader(classLoader));
+		this.context = application.run();
+		assertThat(((SpyApplicationContext) this.context).getClassLoader(),
+				is(equalTo(classLoader)));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void parentContextWithClassLoader() throws Exception {
+		SpringApplicationBuilder application = new SpringApplicationBuilder(
+				ChildConfig.class).contextClass(SpyApplicationContext.class);
+		ClassLoader classLoader = new URLClassLoader(new URL[0], getClass()
+				.getClassLoader());
+		application.resourceLoader(new DefaultResourceLoader(classLoader));
+		application.parent(ExampleConfig.class);
+		this.context = application.run();
+		assertThat(((SpyApplicationContext) this.context).getResourceLoader()
+				.getClassLoader(), is(equalTo(classLoader)));
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void parentFirstCreation() throws Exception {
 		SpringApplicationBuilder application = new SpringApplicationBuilder(
@@ -127,7 +157,8 @@ public class SpringApplicationBuilderTests {
 
 	public static class SpyApplicationContext extends AnnotationConfigApplicationContext {
 
-		ConfigurableApplicationContext applicationContext = spy(new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext());
+		private ConfigurableApplicationContext applicationContext = spy(new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext());
+		private ResourceLoader resourceLoader;
 
 		@Override
 		public void setParent(ApplicationContext parent) {
@@ -138,5 +169,15 @@ public class SpringApplicationBuilderTests {
 			return this.applicationContext;
 		}
 
+		@Override
+		public void setResourceLoader(ResourceLoader resourceLoader) {
+			super.setResourceLoader(resourceLoader);
+			this.resourceLoader = resourceLoader;
+		}
+
+		public ResourceLoader getResourceLoader() {
+			return this.resourceLoader;
+		}
+
 	}
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file