diff --git a/src/bin/sage-env b/src/bin/sage-env
index c436ec43434..ef5b7e1cea4 100644
--- a/src/bin/sage-env
+++ b/src/bin/sage-env
@@ -246,6 +246,7 @@ fi
 
 # Setting Sage-related location environment variables.
 export SAGE_LOCAL="$SAGE_ROOT/local"
+export SAGE_ETC="$SAGE_LOCAL/etc"
 export SAGE_SHARE="$SAGE_LOCAL/share"
 export SAGE_EXTCODE="$SAGE_SHARE/sage/ext"
 export SAGE_SPKG_INST="$SAGE_LOCAL/var/lib/sage/installed"
diff --git a/src/sage/env.py b/src/sage/env.py
index d56d2c5ba6e..e281e043e99 100644
--- a/src/sage/env.py
+++ b/src/sage/env.py
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ def _add_variable_or_fallback(key, fallback, force=False):
 # bunch of sage directories and files
 _add_variable_or_fallback('SAGE_ROOT',       None)
 _add_variable_or_fallback('SAGE_LOCAL',      opj('$SAGE_ROOT', 'local'))
+_add_variable_or_fallback('SAGE_ETC',        opj('$SAGE_LOCAL', 'etc'))
 _add_variable_or_fallback('SAGE_SHARE',      opj('$SAGE_LOCAL', 'share'))
 
 # SAGE_LIB is the site-packages directory if the sage library
diff --git a/src/sage/interfaces/gp.py b/src/sage/interfaces/gp.py
index a44a02eb52c..91531ce8212 100644
--- a/src/sage/interfaces/gp.py
+++ b/src/sage/interfaces/gp.py
@@ -977,11 +977,11 @@ def is_GpElement(x):
     """
     return isinstance(x, GpElement)
 
-from sage.env import DOT_SAGE, SAGE_LOCAL
+from sage.env import DOT_SAGE, SAGE_ETC
 import os
 
-# Set GPRC environment variable to $SAGE_LOCAL/etc/gprc.expect
-os.environ["GPRC"] = os.path.join(SAGE_LOCAL, 'etc', 'gprc.expect')
+# Set GPRC environment variable to $SAGE_ETC/gprc.expect
+os.environ["GPRC"] = os.path.join(SAGE_ETC, 'gprc.expect')
 
 # An instance
 gp = Gp(logfile=os.path.join(DOT_SAGE,'gp-expect.log')) # useful for debugging!