diff --git a/django/test/runner.py b/django/test/runner.py
index 99bc0e5c029..8bb3c6c6f7f 100644
--- a/django/test/runner.py
+++ b/django/test/runner.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ from unittest import TestSuite, defaultTestLoader
 
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
+from django.db import DEFAULT_DB_ALIAS, connections
 from django.test import SimpleTestCase, TestCase
 from django.test.utils import setup_test_environment, teardown_test_environment
 from django.utils.datastructures import OrderedSet
@@ -321,8 +322,6 @@ def partition_suite(suite, classes, bins, reverse=False):
 
 
 def setup_databases(verbosity, interactive, keepdb=False, debug_sql=False, **kwargs):
-    from django.db import connections, DEFAULT_DB_ALIAS
-
     # First pass -- work out which databases actually need to be created,
     # and which ones are test mirrors or duplicate entries in DATABASES
     mirrored_aliases = {}
diff --git a/tests/test_runner/tests.py b/tests/test_runner/tests.py
index 3e47ee00f75..8e9991d6546 100644
--- a/tests/test_runner/tests.py
+++ b/tests/test_runner/tests.py
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ class DummyBackendTest(unittest.TestCase):
         Test that setup_databases() doesn't fail with dummy database backend.
         """
         tested_connections = db.ConnectionHandler({})
-        with mock.patch('django.db.connections', new=tested_connections):
+        with mock.patch('django.test.runner.connections', new=tested_connections):
             runner_instance = DiscoverRunner(verbosity=0)
             try:
                 old_config = runner_instance.setup_databases()
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ class AliasedDefaultTestSetupTest(unittest.TestCase):
                 'NAME': 'dummy'
             }
         })
-        with mock.patch('django.db.connections', new=tested_connections):
+        with mock.patch('django.test.runner.connections', new=tested_connections):
             runner_instance = DiscoverRunner(verbosity=0)
             try:
                 old_config = runner_instance.setup_databases()
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ class SetupDatabasesTests(unittest.TestCase):
         })
 
         with mock.patch('django.db.backends.dummy.base.DatabaseCreation') as mocked_db_creation:
-            with mock.patch('django.db.connections', new=tested_connections):
+            with mock.patch('django.test.runner.connections', new=tested_connections):
                 old_config = self.runner_instance.setup_databases()
                 self.runner_instance.teardown_databases(old_config)
         mocked_db_creation.return_value.destroy_test_db.assert_called_once_with('dbname', 0, False)
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ class SetupDatabasesTests(unittest.TestCase):
             },
         })
         with mock.patch('django.db.backends.dummy.base.DatabaseCreation') as mocked_db_creation:
-            with mock.patch('django.db.connections', new=tested_connections):
+            with mock.patch('django.test.runner.connections', new=tested_connections):
                 self.runner_instance.setup_databases()
         mocked_db_creation.return_value.create_test_db.assert_called_once_with(
             0, autoclobber=False, serialize=True, keepdb=False
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ class SetupDatabasesTests(unittest.TestCase):
             },
         })
         with mock.patch('django.db.backends.dummy.base.DatabaseCreation') as mocked_db_creation:
-            with mock.patch('django.db.connections', new=tested_connections):
+            with mock.patch('django.test.runner.connections', new=tested_connections):
                 self.runner_instance.setup_databases()
         mocked_db_creation.return_value.create_test_db.assert_called_once_with(
             0, autoclobber=False, serialize=False, keepdb=False