diff --git a/python/paddle/fluid/layers/utils.py b/python/paddle/fluid/layers/utils.py
index d79e8078ff415f22443a9c1f302604a004819e35..49ec3088831dff415e042e1b0a632f63106eb07b 100644
--- a/python/paddle/fluid/layers/utils.py
+++ b/python/paddle/fluid/layers/utils.py
@@ -11,10 +11,13 @@
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
+import numpy as np
 
 
-def convert_to_list(value, n, name):
-    """Converts a single integer or iterable of integers into an integer list.
+def convert_to_list(value, n, name, dtype=np.int):
+    """
+    Converts a single numerical type or iterable of numerical
+    types into an numerical type list.
 
     Arguments:
       value: The value to validate and convert. Could an int, or any iterable
@@ -22,15 +25,16 @@ def convert_to_list(value, n, name):
       n: The size of the list to be returned.
       name: The name of the argument being validated, e.g. "stride" or
         "filter_size". This is only used to format error messages.
+      dtype: the numerical type of the element of the list to be returned.
 
     Returns:
-      A list of n integers.
+      A list of n dtypes.
 
     Raises:
       ValueError: If something else than an int/long or iterable thereof was
         passed.
     """
-    if isinstance(value, int):
+    if isinstance(value, dtype):
         return [value, ] * n
     else:
         try:
@@ -44,11 +48,12 @@ def convert_to_list(value, n, name):
                              ". Received: " + str(value))
         for single_value in value_list:
             try:
-                int(single_value)
+                dtype(single_value)
             except (ValueError, TypeError):
                 raise ValueError(
                     "The " + name + "'s type must be a list or tuple of " + str(
-                        n) + " integers. Received: " + str(value) + " "
+                        n) + " " + str(dtype) + " . Received: " + str(
+                            value) + " "
                     "including element " + str(single_value) + " of type" + " "
                     + str(type(single_value)))
         return value_list