diff --git a/python/install.py b/python/install.py
index d589ebca33..efc82f8eb9 100644
--- a/python/install.py
+++ b/python/install.py
@@ -38,11 +38,36 @@ print "installing lammps.py in Python site-packages dir"
 os.chdir('../python')                # in case invoked via make in src dir
 
 from distutils.core import setup
-sys.argv = ["setup.py","install"]    # as if had run "python setup.py install"
-setup(name = "lammps",
-      version = "15May15",
-      author = "Steve Plimpton",
-      author_email = "sjplimp@sandia.gov",
-      url = "http://lammps.sandia.gov",
-      description = "LAMMPS molecular dynamics library",
-      py_modules = ["lammps"])
+import site
+tryuser=False
+
+try:
+  sys.argv = ["setup.py","install"]    # as if had run "python setup.py install"
+  setup(name = "lammps",
+        version = "15May15",
+        author = "Steve Plimpton",
+        author_email = "sjplimp@sandia.gov",
+        url = "http://lammps.sandia.gov",
+        description = "LAMMPS molecular dynamics library",
+        py_modules = ["lammps"])
+except:
+  tryuser=True
+  print "Installation into global site-packages dir failed.\nTrying user site dir %s now." % site.USER_SITE
+
+
+if tryuser:
+  try:
+    sys.argv = ["setup.py","install","--user"]    # as if had run "python setup.py install --user"
+    setup(name = "lammps",
+    version = "15May15",
+    author = "Steve Plimpton",
+    author_email = "sjplimp@sandia.gov",
+    url = "http://lammps.sandia.gov",
+    description = "LAMMPS molecular dynamics library",
+    py_modules = ["lammps"],
+    data_files = [(site.USER_SITE, ["../src/liblammps.so"])])
+  except: 
+    print "Installation into user site package dir failed.\nGo to ../python and install manually."
+
+
+