diff --git a/django/__init__.py b/django/__init__.py
index 76c8050a0c..03e2a2aa52 100644
--- a/django/__init__.py
+++ b/django/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-VERSION = (1, 3, 0, 'alpha', 1)
+VERSION = (1, 3, 0, 'beta', 1)
 
 def get_version():
     version = '%s.%s' % (VERSION[0], VERSION[1])
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index a840c6791e..f6f9227461 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ setup(
     cmdclass = cmdclasses,
     data_files = data_files,
     scripts = ['django/bin/django-admin.py'],
-    classifiers = ['Development Status :: 3 - Alpha',
+    classifiers = ['Development Status :: 4 - Beta',
                    'Environment :: Web Environment',
                    'Framework :: Django',
                    'Intended Audience :: Developers',