diff --git a/tensorflow/python/kernel_tests/cwise_ops_test.py b/tensorflow/python/kernel_tests/cwise_ops_test.py
index f762cec86682ed..6420ed435bd240 100644
--- a/tensorflow/python/kernel_tests/cwise_ops_test.py
+++ b/tensorflow/python/kernel_tests/cwise_ops_test.py
@@ -1228,6 +1228,12 @@ def testEmpty(self):
       tf_val = math_ops.polyval(coeffs, x)
       self.assertAllClose(np_val, self.evaluate(tf_val))
 
+  def test_coeffs_raise(self):
+    x = np.random.rand(2, 2).astype(np.float32)
+    coeffs = {}
+    with self.assertRaisesRegexp(ValueError, "Argument coeffs must be list"):
+      math_ops.polyval(coeffs, x)
+
 
 class SingularGradientOpTest(test.TestCase):
 
diff --git a/tensorflow/python/ops/math_ops.py b/tensorflow/python/ops/math_ops.py
index 464edeaf0211d1..f7c2fcd7eec770 100644
--- a/tensorflow/python/ops/math_ops.py
+++ b/tensorflow/python/ops/math_ops.py
@@ -4411,6 +4411,9 @@ def polyval(coeffs, x, name=None):
   Equivalent to numpy.polyval.
   @end_compatibility
   """
+  if not isinstance(coeffs, list):
+    raise ValueError("Argument coeffs must be list type "
+                     "found {}.".format(type(coeffs)))
 
   with ops.name_scope(name, "polyval", nest.flatten(coeffs) + [x]) as name:
     x = ops.convert_to_tensor(x, name="x")