diff --git a/src/Async.js b/src/Async.js
index e636b82b50..5de2bcef92 100644
--- a/src/Async.js
+++ b/src/Async.js
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ const Async = React.createClass({
 		}
 	},
 	focus () {
-		this.refs.select.focus();
+		this.select.focus();
 	},
 	resetState () {
 		this._currentRequestId = -1;
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ const Async = React.createClass({
 		return (
 			<Select
 				{...this.props}
-				ref="select"
+				ref={(ref) => this.select = ref}
 				isLoading={isLoading}
 				noResultsText={noResultsText}
 				onInputChange={this.loadOptions}
diff --git a/src/Select.js b/src/Select.js
index 5031419cd9..3b32ef6a4b 100644
--- a/src/Select.js
+++ b/src/Select.js
@@ -187,27 +187,27 @@ const Select = React.createClass({
 
 	componentDidUpdate (prevProps, prevState) {
 		// focus to the selected option
-		if (this.refs.menu && this.refs.focused && this.state.isOpen && !this.hasScrolledToOption) {
-			let focusedOptionNode = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this.refs.focused);
-			let menuNode = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this.refs.menu);
+		if (this.menu && this.focused && this.state.isOpen && !this.hasScrolledToOption) {
+			let focusedOptionNode = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this.focused);
+			let menuNode = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this.menu);
 			menuNode.scrollTop = focusedOptionNode.offsetTop;
 			this.hasScrolledToOption = true;
 		} else if (!this.state.isOpen) {
 			this.hasScrolledToOption = false;
 		}
 
-		if (this._scrollToFocusedOptionOnUpdate && this.refs.focused && this.refs.menu) {
+		if (this._scrollToFocusedOptionOnUpdate && this.focused && this.menu) {
 			this._scrollToFocusedOptionOnUpdate = false;
-			var focusedDOM = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this.refs.focused);
-			var menuDOM = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this.refs.menu);
+			var focusedDOM = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this.focused);
+			var menuDOM = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this.menu);
 			var focusedRect = focusedDOM.getBoundingClientRect();
 			var menuRect = menuDOM.getBoundingClientRect();
 			if (focusedRect.bottom > menuRect.bottom || focusedRect.top < menuRect.top) {
 				menuDOM.scrollTop = (focusedDOM.offsetTop + focusedDOM.clientHeight - menuDOM.offsetHeight);
 			}
 		}
-		if (this.props.scrollMenuIntoView && this.refs.menuContainer) {
-			var menuContainerRect = this.refs.menuContainer.getBoundingClientRect();
+		if (this.props.scrollMenuIntoView && this.menuContainer) {
+			var menuContainerRect = this.menuContainer.getBoundingClientRect();
 			if (window.innerHeight < menuContainerRect.bottom + this.props.menuBuffer) {
 				window.scrollBy(0, menuContainerRect.bottom + this.props.menuBuffer - window.innerHeight);
 			}
@@ -219,8 +219,8 @@ const Select = React.createClass({
 	},
 
 	focus () {
-		if (!this.refs.input) return;
-		this.refs.input.focus();
+		if (!this.input) return;
+		this.input.focus();
 
 		if (this.props.openAfterFocus) {
 			this.setState({
@@ -230,8 +230,8 @@ const Select = React.createClass({
 	},
 
 	blurInput() {
-		if (!this.refs.input) return;
-		this.refs.input.blur();
+		if (!this.input) return;
+		this.input.blur();
 	},
 
 	handleTouchMove (event) {
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ const Select = React.createClass({
 			// Call focus() again here to be safe.
 			this.focus();
 
-			let input = this.refs.input;
+			let input = this.input;
 			if (typeof input.getInput === 'function') {
 				// Get the actual DOM input if the ref is an <Input /> component
 				input = input.getInput();
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ const Select = React.createClass({
 
 	handleInputBlur (event) {
 		// The check for menu.contains(activeElement) is necessary to prevent IE11's scrollbar from closing the menu in certain contexts.
-		if (this.refs.menu && (this.refs.menu === document.activeElement || this.refs.menu.contains(document.activeElement))) {
+		if (this.menu && (this.menu === document.activeElement || this.menu.contains(document.activeElement))) {
 			this.focus();
 			return;
 		}
@@ -763,7 +763,7 @@ const Select = React.createClass({
 				onBlur: this.handleInputBlur,
 				onChange: this.handleInputChange,
 				onFocus: this.handleInputFocus,
-				ref: 'input',
+				ref: ref => this.input = ref,
 				required: this.state.required,
 				value: this.state.inputValue
 			});
@@ -781,7 +781,7 @@ const Select = React.createClass({
 						tabIndex={this.props.tabIndex || 0}
 						onBlur={this.handleInputBlur}
 						onFocus={this.handleInputFocus}
-						ref="input"
+						ref={ref => this.input = ref}
 						aria-readonly={'' + !!this.props.disabled}
 						style={{ border: 0, width: 1, display:'inline-block' }}/>
 				);
@@ -926,7 +926,7 @@ const Select = React.createClass({
 			return (
 				<input
 					type="hidden"
-					ref="value"
+					ref={ref => this.value = ref}
 					name={this.props.name}
 					value={value}
 					disabled={this.props.disabled} />
@@ -967,8 +967,8 @@ const Select = React.createClass({
 		}
 
 		return (
-			<div ref="menuContainer" className="Select-menu-outer" style={this.props.menuContainerStyle}>
-				<div ref="menu" role="listbox" className="Select-menu" id={this._instancePrefix + '-list'}
+			<div ref={ref => this.menuContainer = ref} className="Select-menu-outer" style={this.props.menuContainerStyle}>
+				<div ref={ref => this.menu = ref} role="listbox" className="Select-menu" id={this._instancePrefix + '-list'}
 						 style={this.props.menuStyle}
 						 onScroll={this.handleMenuScroll}
 						 onMouseDown={this.handleMouseDownOnMenu}>
@@ -1018,11 +1018,11 @@ const Select = React.createClass({
 		}
 
 		return (
-			<div ref="wrapper"
+			<div ref={ref => this.wrapper = ref}
 				 className={className}
 				 style={this.props.wrapperStyle}>
 				{this.renderHiddenField(valueArray)}
-				<div ref="control"
+				<div ref={ref => this.control = ref}
 					className="Select-control"
 					style={this.props.style}
 					onKeyDown={this.handleKeyDown}
diff --git a/test/Select-test.js b/test/Select-test.js
index 748541e32a..bc847ba3ce 100644
--- a/test/Select-test.js
+++ b/test/Select-test.js
@@ -46,12 +46,12 @@ class PropsWrapper extends React.Component {
 	}
 
 	getChild() {
-		return this.refs.child;
+		return this.child;
 	}
 
 	render() {
 		var Component = this.props.childComponent; // eslint-disable-line react/prop-types
-		return <Component {...this.state} ref="child" />;
+		return <Component {...this.state} ref={(ref) => this.child = ref} />;
 	}
 }
 
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ describe('Select', () => {
 
 	var findAndFocusInputControl = () => {
 		// Focus on the input, such that mouse events are accepted
-		var searchInstance = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(instance.refs.input);
+		var searchInstance = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(instance.input);
 		searchInputNode = null;
 		if (searchInstance) {
 			searchInputNode = searchInstance.querySelector('input');
@@ -2233,7 +2233,7 @@ describe('Select', () => {
 
 			it('adds the className on to the auto-size input', () => {
 
-				expect(ReactDOM.findDOMNode(instance.refs.input),
+				expect(ReactDOM.findDOMNode(instance.input),
 					'to have attributes', {
 						class: ['extra-class-name', 'Select-input']
 					});
@@ -2487,12 +2487,12 @@ describe('Select', () => {
 				});
 
 				clickArrowToOpen();
-				instance.refs.menu.focus();
+				instance.menu.focus();
 
-				var inputFocus = sinon.spy( instance.refs.input, 'focus' );
+				var inputFocus = sinon.spy( instance.input, 'focus' );
 				instance.handleInputBlur();
 
-				expect( instance.refs.input.focus, 'was called once' );
+				expect( instance.input.focus, 'was called once' );
 			} );
 
 			it( 'should not focus the input when menu is not active', () => {
@@ -2500,10 +2500,10 @@ describe('Select', () => {
 					options: defaultOptions
 				});
 
-				var inputFocus = sinon.spy( instance.refs.input, 'focus' );
+				var inputFocus = sinon.spy( instance.input, 'focus' );
 				instance.handleInputBlur();
 
-				expect( instance.refs.input.focus, 'was not called' );
+				expect( instance.input.focus, 'was not called' );
 			} );
 		});
 
@@ -3236,7 +3236,7 @@ describe('Select', () => {
 		});
 
 		it('creates a plain input instead of an autosizable input', () => {
-			const inputNode = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(instance.refs.input);
+			const inputNode = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(instance.input);
 			expect(inputNode.tagName, 'to equal', 'INPUT');
 		});
 	});