diff --git a/spec/PasswordPolicy.spec.js b/spec/PasswordPolicy.spec.js
index 19c0731f12..d4562003b0 100644
--- a/spec/PasswordPolicy.spec.js
+++ b/spec/PasswordPolicy.spec.js
@@ -913,6 +913,65 @@ describe('Password Policy: ', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it('Should return error when password violates Password Policy and reset through ajax', async done => {
+    const user = new Parse.User();
+    const emailAdapter = {
+      sendVerificationEmail: () => Promise.resolve(),
+      sendPasswordResetEmail: async options => {
+        const response = await request({
+          url: options.link,
+          followRedirects: false,
+          simple: false,
+          resolveWithFullResponse: true,
+        });
+        expect(response.status).toEqual(302);
+        const re = /http:\/\/localhost:8378\/1\/apps\/choose_password\?token=([a-zA-Z0-9]+)\&id=test\&username=user1/;
+        const match = response.text.match(re);
+        if (!match) {
+          fail('should have a token');
+          return;
+        }
+        const token = match[1];
+
+        try {
+          await request({
+            method: 'POST',
+            url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/apps/test/request_password_reset',
+            body: `new_password=xuser12&token=${token}&username=user1`,
+            headers: {
+              'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
+              'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest',
+            },
+            followRedirects: false,
+          });
+        } catch (error) {
+          expect(error.status).not.toBe(302);
+          expect(error.text).toEqual(
+            '{"code":-1,"error":"Password cannot contain your username."}'
+          );
+        }
+        await Parse.User.logIn('user1', 'r@nd0m');
+        done();
+      },
+      sendMail: () => {},
+    };
+    await reconfigureServer({
+      appName: 'passwordPolicy',
+      verifyUserEmails: false,
+      emailAdapter: emailAdapter,
+      passwordPolicy: {
+        doNotAllowUsername: true,
+      },
+      publicServerURL: 'http://localhost:8378/1',
+    });
+    user.setUsername('user1');
+    user.setPassword('r@nd0m');
+    user.set('email', 'user1@parse.com');
+    await user.signUp();
+
+    await Parse.User.requestPasswordReset('user1@parse.com');
+  });
+
   it('should reset password even if the new password contains user name while the policy allows', done => {
     const user = new Parse.User();
     const emailAdapter = {
diff --git a/spec/PublicAPI.spec.js b/spec/PublicAPI.spec.js
index 1c04294880..22c1383d5a 100644
--- a/spec/PublicAPI.spec.js
+++ b/spec/PublicAPI.spec.js
@@ -7,6 +7,72 @@ const request = function(url, callback) {
 };
 
 describe('public API', () => {
+  it('should return missing username error on ajax request without username provided', async () => {
+    await reconfigureServer({
+      publicServerURL: 'http://localhost:8378/1',
+    });
+
+    try {
+      await req({
+        method: 'POST',
+        url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/apps/test/request_password_reset',
+        body: `new_password=user1&token=43634643&username=`,
+        headers: {
+          'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
+          'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest',
+        },
+        followRedirects: false,
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      expect(error.status).not.toBe(302);
+      expect(error.text).toEqual('{"code":200,"error":"Missing username"}');
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('should return missing token error on ajax request without token provided', async () => {
+    await reconfigureServer({
+      publicServerURL: 'http://localhost:8378/1',
+    });
+
+    try {
+      await req({
+        method: 'POST',
+        url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/apps/test/request_password_reset',
+        body: `new_password=user1&token=&username=Johnny`,
+        headers: {
+          'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
+          'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest',
+        },
+        followRedirects: false,
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      expect(error.status).not.toBe(302);
+      expect(error.text).toEqual('{"code":-1,"error":"Missing token"}');
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('should return missing password error on ajax request without password provided', async () => {
+    await reconfigureServer({
+      publicServerURL: 'http://localhost:8378/1',
+    });
+
+    try {
+      await req({
+        method: 'POST',
+        url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/apps/test/request_password_reset',
+        body: `new_password=&token=132414&username=Johnny`,
+        headers: {
+          'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
+          'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest',
+        },
+        followRedirects: false,
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      expect(error.status).not.toBe(302);
+      expect(error.text).toEqual('{"code":201,"error":"Missing password"}');
+    }
+  });
+
   it('should get invalid_link.html', done => {
     request(
       'http://localhost:8378/1/apps/invalid_link.html',
diff --git a/spec/ValidationAndPasswordsReset.spec.js b/spec/ValidationAndPasswordsReset.spec.js
index a5e024168a..0e9db70a4f 100644
--- a/spec/ValidationAndPasswordsReset.spec.js
+++ b/spec/ValidationAndPasswordsReset.spec.js
@@ -910,6 +910,89 @@ describe('Custom Pages, Email Verification, Password Reset', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it('should programmatically reset password on ajax request', async done => {
+    const user = new Parse.User();
+    const emailAdapter = {
+      sendVerificationEmail: () => Promise.resolve(),
+      sendPasswordResetEmail: async options => {
+        const response = await request({
+          url: options.link,
+          followRedirects: false,
+        });
+        expect(response.status).toEqual(302);
+        const re = /http:\/\/localhost:8378\/1\/apps\/choose_password\?token=([a-zA-Z0-9]+)\&id=test\&username=zxcv/;
+        const match = response.text.match(re);
+        if (!match) {
+          fail('should have a token');
+          return;
+        }
+        const token = match[1];
+
+        const resetResponse = await request({
+          url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/apps/test/request_password_reset',
+          method: 'POST',
+          body: { new_password: 'hello', token, username: 'zxcv' },
+          headers: {
+            'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
+            'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest',
+          },
+          followRedirects: false,
+        });
+        expect(resetResponse.status).toEqual(200);
+        expect(resetResponse.text).toEqual('"Password successfully reset"');
+
+        await Parse.User.logIn('zxcv', 'hello');
+        const config = Config.get('test');
+        const results = await config.database.adapter.find(
+          '_User',
+          { fields: {} },
+          { username: 'zxcv' },
+          { limit: 1 }
+        );
+        // _perishable_token should be unset after reset password
+        expect(results.length).toEqual(1);
+        expect(results[0]['_perishable_token']).toEqual(undefined);
+        done();
+      },
+      sendMail: () => {},
+    };
+    await reconfigureServer({
+      appName: 'emailing app',
+      verifyUserEmails: true,
+      emailAdapter: emailAdapter,
+      publicServerURL: 'http://localhost:8378/1',
+    });
+    user.setPassword('asdf');
+    user.setUsername('zxcv');
+    user.set('email', 'user@parse.com');
+    await user.signUp();
+    await Parse.User.requestPasswordReset('user@parse.com');
+  });
+
+  it('should return ajax failure error on ajax request with wrong data provided', async () => {
+    await reconfigureServer({
+      publicServerURL: 'http://localhost:8378/1',
+    });
+
+    try {
+      await request({
+        method: 'POST',
+        url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/apps/test/request_password_reset',
+        body: `new_password=user1&token=12345&username=Johnny`,
+        headers: {
+          'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
+          'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest',
+        },
+        followRedirects: false,
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      expect(error.status).not.toBe(302);
+      expect(error.text).toEqual(
+        '{"code":-1,"error":"Failed to reset password: username / email / token is invalid"}'
+      );
+    }
+  });
+
   it('deletes password reset token on email address change', done => {
     reconfigureServer({
       appName: 'coolapp',
diff --git a/src/Controllers/UserController.js b/src/Controllers/UserController.js
index 6b9587182c..2d7b444428 100644
--- a/src/Controllers/UserController.js
+++ b/src/Controllers/UserController.js
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ export class UserController extends AdaptableController {
       )
       .then(results => {
         if (results.length != 1) {
-          throw undefined;
+          throw 'Failed to reset password: username / email / token is invalid';
         }
 
         if (
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ export class UserController extends AdaptableController {
     return this.checkResetTokenValidity(username, token)
       .then(user => updateUserPassword(user.objectId, password, this.config))
       .catch(error => {
-        if (error.message) {
+        if (error && error.message) {
           // in case of Parse.Error, fail with the error message only
           return Promise.reject(error.message);
         } else {
diff --git a/src/Routers/PublicAPIRouter.js b/src/Routers/PublicAPIRouter.js
index 15d636c5e2..efa0ea5852 100644
--- a/src/Routers/PublicAPIRouter.js
+++ b/src/Routers/PublicAPIRouter.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import express from 'express';
 import path from 'path';
 import fs from 'fs';
 import qs from 'querystring';
+import { Parse } from 'parse/node';
 
 const public_html = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../public_html');
 const views = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../views');
@@ -159,34 +160,67 @@ export class PublicAPIRouter extends PromiseRouter {
 
     const { username, token, new_password } = req.body;
 
-    if (!username || !token || !new_password) {
+    if ((!username || !token || !new_password) && req.xhr === false) {
       return this.invalidLink(req);
     }
 
+    if (!username) {
+      throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.USERNAME_MISSING, 'Missing username');
+    }
+
+    if (!token) {
+      throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.OTHER_CAUSE, 'Missing token');
+    }
+
+    if (!new_password) {
+      throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.PASSWORD_MISSING, 'Missing password');
+    }
+
     return config.userController
       .updatePassword(username, token, new_password)
       .then(
         () => {
-          const params = qs.stringify({ username: username });
           return Promise.resolve({
-            status: 302,
-            location: `${config.passwordResetSuccessURL}?${params}`,
+            success: true,
           });
         },
         err => {
-          const params = qs.stringify({
-            username: username,
-            token: token,
-            id: config.applicationId,
-            error: err,
-            app: config.appName,
-          });
           return Promise.resolve({
-            status: 302,
-            location: `${config.choosePasswordURL}?${params}`,
+            success: false,
+            err,
           });
         }
-      );
+      )
+      .then(result => {
+        const params = qs.stringify({
+          username: username,
+          token: token,
+          id: config.applicationId,
+          error: result.err,
+          app: config.appName,
+        });
+
+        if (req.xhr) {
+          if (result.success) {
+            return Promise.resolve({
+              status: 200,
+              response: 'Password successfully reset',
+            });
+          }
+          if (result.err) {
+            throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.OTHER_CAUSE, `${result.err}`);
+          }
+        }
+
+        return Promise.resolve({
+          status: 302,
+          location: `${
+            result.success
+              ? `${config.passwordResetSuccessURL}?username=${username}`
+              : `${config.choosePasswordURL}?${params}`
+          }`,
+        });
+      });
   }
 
   invalidLink(req) {