diff --git a/django/contrib/admin/views/main.py b/django/contrib/admin/views/main.py
index d0f0350407..635330f6a8 100644
--- a/django/contrib/admin/views/main.py
+++ b/django/contrib/admin/views/main.py
@@ -52,8 +52,6 @@ class ChangeList(object):
         self.params = dict(request.GET.items())
         if PAGE_VAR in self.params:
             del self.params[PAGE_VAR]
-        if TO_FIELD_VAR in self.params:
-            del self.params[TO_FIELD_VAR]
         if ERROR_FLAG in self.params:
             del self.params[ERROR_FLAG]
 
@@ -173,7 +171,7 @@ class ChangeList(object):
 
         qs = self.root_query_set
         lookup_params = self.params.copy() # a dictionary of the query string
-        for i in (ALL_VAR, ORDER_VAR, ORDER_TYPE_VAR, SEARCH_VAR, IS_POPUP_VAR):
+        for i in (ALL_VAR, ORDER_VAR, ORDER_TYPE_VAR, SEARCH_VAR, IS_POPUP_VAR, TO_FIELD_VAR):
             if i in lookup_params:
                 del lookup_params[i]
         for key, value in lookup_params.items():
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/admin_views/tests.py b/tests/regressiontests/admin_views/tests.py
index 7782f9eab7..6be07b462d 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/admin_views/tests.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/admin_views/tests.py
@@ -1694,6 +1694,16 @@ class AdminSearchTest(TestCase):
         # confirm the search returned 1 object
         self.assertContains(response, "\n1 recommendation\n")
 
+    def test_with_fk_to_field(self):
+        """Ensure that the to_field GET parameter is preserved when a search
+        is performed. Refs #10918.
+        """
+        from django.contrib.admin.views.main import TO_FIELD_VAR
+        response = self.client.get('/test_admin/admin/auth/user/?q=joe&%s=username' % TO_FIELD_VAR)
+        self.assertContains(response, "\n1 user\n")
+        self.assertContains(response, '<input type="hidden" name="t" value="username"/>')
+
+
 class AdminInheritedInlinesTest(TestCase):
     fixtures = ['admin-views-users.xml',]