diff --git a/examples/demo-multi-select.html b/examples/demo-multi-select.html
index 1dabb650c..81e495ac7 100644
--- a/examples/demo-multi-select.html
+++ b/examples/demo-multi-select.html
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ <h3>Multi select</h3>
   <h1>Multi Selection Demos</h1>
 
   <h3>Array of strings</h3>
-  <ui-select multiple ng-model="multipleDemo.colors" theme="bootstrap" ng-disabled="disabled" style="width: 300px;">
+  <ui-select multiple ng-model="multipleDemo.colors" theme="bootstrap" ng-disabled="disabled" close-on-select="false" style="width: 300px;">
     <ui-select-match placeholder="Select colors...">{{$item}}</ui-select-match>
     <ui-select-choices repeat="color in availableColors | filter:$select.search">
       {{color}}
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ <h3>Array of strings</h3>
   <p>Selected: {{multipleDemo.colors}}</p>
   <hr>
   <h3>Array of objects</h3>
-  <ui-select multiple ng-model="multipleDemo.selectedPeople" theme="bootstrap" ng-disabled="disabled" style="width: 800px;">
+  <ui-select multiple ng-model="multipleDemo.selectedPeople" theme="bootstrap" ng-disabled="disabled" close-on-select="false" style="width: 800px;">
     <ui-select-match placeholder="Select person...">{{$item.name}} &lt;{{$item.email}}&gt;</ui-select-match>
     <ui-select-choices repeat="person in people | propsFilter: {name: $select.search, age: $select.search}">
       <div ng-bind-html="person.name | highlight: $select.search"></div>
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ <h3>Array of objects</h3>
 
   <hr>
   <h3>Deselect callback with single property binding</h3>
-  <ui-select multiple ng-model="multipleDemo.deSelectedPeople" on-remove="removed($item, $model)" theme="bootstrap" ng-disabled="disabled" style="width: 800px;">
+  <ui-select multiple ng-model="multipleDemo.deSelectedPeople" on-remove="removed($item, $model)" theme="bootstrap" ng-disabled="disabled" close-on-select="false" style="width: 800px;">
     <ui-select-match placeholder="Select person...">{{$item.name}} &lt;{{$item.email}}&gt;</ui-select-match>
     <ui-select-choices repeat="person.email as person in people | propsFilter: {name: $select.search, age: $select.search}">
       <div ng-bind-html="person.name | highlight: $select.search"></div>
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ <h3>Deselect callback with single property binding</h3>
 
   <hr>
   <h3>Array of objects with single property binding</h3>
-  <ui-select multiple ng-model="multipleDemo.selectedPeopleSimple" theme="bootstrap" ng-disabled="disabled" style="width: 800px;">
+  <ui-select multiple ng-model="multipleDemo.selectedPeopleSimple" theme="bootstrap" ng-disabled="disabled" close-on-select="false" style="width: 800px;">
     <ui-select-match placeholder="Select person...">{{$item.name}} &lt;{{$item.email}}&gt;</ui-select-match>
     <ui-select-choices repeat="person.email as person in people | propsFilter: {name: $select.search, age: $select.search}">
       <div ng-bind-html="person.name | highlight: $select.search"></div>
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ <h3>Array of objects with single property binding</h3>
 
   <hr>
   <h3>Array of objects (with groupBy)</h3>
-  <ui-select multiple ng-model="multipleDemo.selectedPeopleWithGroupBy" theme="bootstrap" ng-disabled="disabled" style="width: 800px;">
+  <ui-select multiple ng-model="multipleDemo.selectedPeopleWithGroupBy" theme="bootstrap" ng-disabled="disabled" close-on-select="false" style="width: 800px;">
     <ui-select-match placeholder="Select person...">{{$item.name}} &lt;{{$item.email}}&gt;</ui-select-match>
     <ui-select-choices group-by="someGroupFn" repeat="person in people | propsFilter: {name: $select.search, age: $select.search}">
       <div ng-bind-html="person.name | highlight: $select.search"></div>
diff --git a/src/select.js b/src/select.js
index 95ba2bbb9..3b81924b1 100644
--- a/src/select.js
+++ b/src/select.js
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@
     theme: 'bootstrap',
     searchEnabled: true,
     placeholder: '', // Empty by default, like HTML tag <select>
-    refreshDelay: 1000 // In milliseconds
+    refreshDelay: 1000, // In milliseconds
+    closeOnSelect: true
   })
 
   // See Rename minErr and make it accessible from outside https://github.com/angular/angular.js/issues/6913
@@ -160,6 +161,8 @@
     ctrl.multiple = false; // Initialized inside uiSelect directive link function
     ctrl.disableChoiceExpression = undefined; // Initialized inside uiSelect directive link function
     ctrl.lockChoiceExpression = undefined; // Initialized inside uiSelect directive link function
+    ctrl.closeOnSelect = true; // Initialized inside uiSelect directive link function
+    ctrl.clickTriggeredSelect = false;
 
     ctrl.isEmpty = function() {
       return angular.isUndefined(ctrl.selected) || ctrl.selected === null || ctrl.selected === '';
@@ -332,8 +335,7 @@
     };
 
     // When the user clicks on an item inside the dropdown
-    ctrl.select = function(item, skipFocusser) {
-
+    ctrl.select = function(item, skipFocusser, $event) {
       if (item === undefined || !item._uiSelectChoiceDisabled) {
         var locals = {};
         locals[ctrl.parserResult.itemName] = item;
@@ -343,13 +345,18 @@
             $model: ctrl.parserResult.modelMapper($scope, locals)
         });
 
-        if(ctrl.multiple){
+        if(ctrl.multiple) {
           ctrl.selected.push(item);
           ctrl.sizeSearchInput();
         } else {
           ctrl.selected = item;
         }
-        ctrl.close(skipFocusser);
+        if (!ctrl.multiple || ctrl.closeOnSelect) {
+          ctrl.close(skipFocusser);
+        }
+        if ($event && $event.type === 'click') {
+          ctrl.clickTriggeredSelect = true;
+        }
       }
     };
 
@@ -624,7 +631,7 @@
         var searchInput = element.querySelectorAll('input.ui-select-search');
 
         $select.multiple = (angular.isDefined(attrs.multiple)) ? (attrs.multiple === '') ? true : (attrs.multiple.toLowerCase() === 'true') : false;
-
+        $select.closeOnSelect = (angular.isDefined(attrs.closeOnSelect) && attrs.closeOnSelect.toLowerCase() === 'false') ? false : uiSelectConfig.closeOnSelect;
         $select.onSelectCallback = $parse(attrs.onSelect);
         $select.onRemoveCallback = $parse(attrs.onRemove);
 
@@ -827,10 +834,11 @@
             contains = element[0].contains(e.target);
           }
 
-          if (!contains) {
+          if (!contains && !$select.clickTriggeredSelect) {
             $select.close();
             scope.$digest();
           }
+          $select.clickTriggeredSelect = false;
         }
 
         // See Click everywhere but here event http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12931369
@@ -910,7 +918,7 @@
           choices.attr('ng-repeat', RepeatParser.getNgRepeatExpression($select.parserResult.itemName, '$select.items', $select.parserResult.trackByExp, groupByExp))
               .attr('ng-if', '$select.open') //Prevent unnecessary watches when dropdown is closed
               .attr('ng-mouseenter', '$select.setActiveItem('+$select.parserResult.itemName +')')
-              .attr('ng-click', '$select.select(' + $select.parserResult.itemName + ')');
+              .attr('ng-click', '$select.select(' + $select.parserResult.itemName + ',false,$event)');
 
           var rowsInner = element.querySelectorAll('.ui-select-choices-row-inner');
           if (rowsInner.length !== 1) throw uiSelectMinErr('rows', "Expected 1 .ui-select-choices-row-inner but got '{0}'.", rowsInner.length);
diff --git a/test/select.spec.js b/test/select.spec.js
index c5dc763fd..461ec3c13 100644
--- a/test/select.spec.js
+++ b/test/select.spec.js
@@ -1043,6 +1043,7 @@ describe('ui-select tests', function() {
             if (attrs.disabled !== undefined) { attrsHtml += ' ng-disabled="' + attrs.disabled + '"'; }
             if (attrs.required !== undefined) { attrsHtml += ' ng-required="' + attrs.required + '"'; }
             if (attrs.tabindex !== undefined) { attrsHtml += ' tabindex="' + attrs.tabindex + '"'; }
+            if (attrs.closeOnSelect !== undefined) { attrsHtml += ' close-on-select="' + attrs.closeOnSelect + '"'; }
         }
 
         return compileTemplate(
@@ -1278,6 +1279,22 @@ describe('ui-select tests', function() {
 
     });
 
+    it('should not close dropdown after selecting if closeOnSelect=false', function() {
+
+        scope.selection.selectedMultiple = [scope.people[5]]; //Samantha
+        var el = createUiSelectMultiple({closeOnSelect: false});
+        var searchInput = el.find('.ui-select-search');
+
+        expect(isDropdownOpened(el)).toEqual(false);
+        triggerKeydown(searchInput, Key.Down)
+        expect(isDropdownOpened(el)).toEqual(true);
+
+        clickItem(el, 'Wladimir');
+
+        expect(isDropdownOpened(el)).toEqual(true);
+
+    });
+
     it('should closes dropdown when pressing ESC key from search input', function() {
 
         scope.selection.selectedMultiple = [scope.people[4], scope.people[5], scope.people[6]]; //Wladimir, Samantha & Nicole