diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.WebApiCompatShim/ApiController.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.WebApiCompatShim/ApiController.cs
index 3d9c2bfd0f..efcefa8f32 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.WebApiCompatShim/ApiController.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.WebApiCompatShim/ApiController.cs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ using Microsoft.AspNet.Http;
 using Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc;
 using Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.ModelBinding;
 using Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.WebApiCompatShim;
+using Microsoft.Framework.DependencyInjection;
 
 namespace System.Web.Http
 {
@@ -83,6 +84,40 @@ namespace System.Web.Http
             GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Validates the given entity and adds the validation errors to the <see cref="ApiController.ModelState"/>
+        /// under an empty prefix.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <typeparam name="TEntity">The type of the entity to be validated.</typeparam>
+        /// <param name="entity">The entity being validated.</param>
+        public void Validate<TEntity>(TEntity entity)
+        {
+            Validate(entity, keyPrefix: string.Empty);
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Validates the given entity and adds the validation errors to the <see cref="ApiController.ModelState"/>.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <typeparam name="TEntity">The type of the entity to be validated.</typeparam>
+        /// <param name="entity">The entity being validated.</param>
+        /// <param name="keyPrefix">
+        /// The key prefix under which the model state errors would be added in the 
+        /// <see cref="ApiController.ModelState"/>.
+        /// </param>
+        public void Validate<TEntity>(TEntity entity, string keyPrefix)
+        {
+            var validator = Context.RequestServices.GetService<IBodyModelValidator>();
+            var metadataProvider = Context.RequestServices.GetService<IModelMetadataProvider>();
+            var modelMetadata = metadataProvider.GetMetadataForType(() => entity, typeof(TEntity));
+            var validatorProvider = Context.RequestServices.GetService<ICompositeModelValidatorProvider>();
+            var modelValidationContext = new ModelValidationContext(metadataProvider,
+                                                                    validatorProvider,
+                                                                    ModelState,
+                                                                    modelMetadata,
+                                                                    containerMetadata: null);
+            validator.Validate(modelValidationContext, keyPrefix);
+        }
+
         protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
         {
         }
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.FunctionalTests/WebApiCompatShimBasicTest.cs b/test/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.FunctionalTests/WebApiCompatShimBasicTest.cs
index ae897181bd..b37a95c9c1 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.FunctionalTests/WebApiCompatShimBasicTest.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.FunctionalTests/WebApiCompatShimBasicTest.cs
@@ -81,6 +81,53 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.FunctionalTests
             Assert.Equal(expected, formatters);
         }
 
+        [Fact]
+        public async Task ApiController_CanValidateCustomObjectWithPrefix_Fails()
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var server = TestServer.Create(_provider, _app);
+            var client = server.CreateClient();
+
+            // Act
+            var response = await client.GetStringAsync(
+                "http://localhost/api/Blog/BasicApi/ValidateObjectWithPrefixFails?prefix=prefix");
+
+            // Assert
+            var json = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Dictionary<string, string>>(response);
+            Assert.Equal(1, json.Count);
+            Assert.Equal("The field ID must be between 0 and 100.", json["prefix.ID"]);
+        }
+        
+        [Fact]
+        public async Task ApiController_CanValidateCustomObject_IsSuccessFul()
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var server = TestServer.Create(_provider, _app);
+            var client = server.CreateClient();
+
+            // Act
+            var response = await client.GetStringAsync("http://localhost/api/Blog/BasicApi/ValidateObject_Passes");
+
+            // Assert
+            Assert.Equal("true", response);
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public async Task ApiController_CanValidateCustomObject_Fails()
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var server = TestServer.Create(_provider, _app);
+            var client = server.CreateClient();
+
+            // Act
+            var response = await client.GetStringAsync("http://localhost/api/Blog/BasicApi/ValidateObjectFails");
+
+            // Assert
+            var json = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Dictionary<string, string>>(response);
+            Assert.Equal(1, json.Count);
+            Assert.Equal("The field ID must be between 0 and 100.", json["ID"]);
+        }
+
         [Fact]
         public async Task ApiController_RequestProperty()
         {
diff --git a/test/WebSites/WebApiCompatShimWebSite/Controllers/BasicApiController.cs b/test/WebSites/WebApiCompatShimWebSite/Controllers/BasicApiController.cs
index 09478361be..36cda533c4 100644
--- a/test/WebSites/WebApiCompatShimWebSite/Controllers/BasicApiController.cs
+++ b/test/WebSites/WebApiCompatShimWebSite/Controllers/BasicApiController.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 // Copyright (c) Microsoft Open Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
 
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using System.Web.Http;
@@ -45,5 +47,52 @@ namespace WebApiCompatShimWebSite
         {
             return OptionsAccessor.Options.Formatters.Select(f => f.GetType().FullName).ToArray();
         }
+        
+        [HttpGet]
+        public bool ValidateObject_Passes()
+        {
+            var entity = new TestEntity { ID = 42 };
+            Validate(entity);
+            return ModelState.IsValid;
+        }
+
+        [HttpGet]
+        public object ValidateObjectFails()
+        {
+            var entity = new TestEntity { ID = -1 };
+            Validate(entity);
+            return CreateValidationDictionary();
+        }
+
+        [HttpGet]
+        public object ValidateObjectWithPrefixFails(string prefix)
+        {
+            var entity = new TestEntity { ID = -1 };
+            Validate(entity, prefix);
+            return CreateValidationDictionary();
+        }
+
+        private class TestEntity
+        {
+            [Range(0, 100)]
+            public int ID { get; set; }
+        }
+
+        private Dictionary<string, string> CreateValidationDictionary()
+        {
+            var result = new Dictionary<string, string>();
+            foreach (var item in ModelState)
+            {
+                var error = item.Value.Errors.SingleOrDefault();
+                if (error != null)
+                {
+                    var value = error.Exception != null ? error.Exception.Message :
+                                                          error.ErrorMessage;
+                    result.Add(item.Key, value);
+                }
+            }
+
+            return result;
+        }
     }
 }
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