diff --git a/cpu/cc2538/Makefile.include b/cpu/cc2538/Makefile.include
index c282717bd4bf423176628dce850cccf0f2aa8fd9..d81b20fe8e86d0edace839cef5651413b422bed2 100644
--- a/cpu/cc2538/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/cc2538/Makefile.include
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ export USEMODULE += cortex-m3_common
 export CORTEX_COMMON = $(RIOTCPU)/cortex-m3_common/
 
 # Define the linker script to use for this CPU:
-export LINKERSCRIPT = $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
+export LINKERSCRIPT ?= $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
 
 # Export the CPU model:
 MODEL = $(shell echo $(CPU_MODEL) | tr 'a-z' 'A-Z')
diff --git a/cpu/nrf51822/Makefile.include b/cpu/nrf51822/Makefile.include
index 15ad15e0230f0aad7c0101c4107826b27c3b39be..c84d2207901426a39c735358d8b1b7f8c3064797 100644
--- a/cpu/nrf51822/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/nrf51822/Makefile.include
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ export CORTEX_COMMON = $(RIOTCPU)/cortex-m0_common/
 # define the linker script to use for this CPU. The CPU_MODEL variable is defined in the
 # board's Makefile.include. This enables multiple NRF51822 controllers with different memory to
 # use the same code-base.
-export LINKERSCRIPT = $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
+export LINKERSCRIPT ?= $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
 
 #export the CPU model
 MODEL = $(shell echo $(CPU_MODEL)|tr 'a-z' 'A-Z')
diff --git a/cpu/sam3x8e/Makefile.include b/cpu/sam3x8e/Makefile.include
index 2069d62d41728dd285e92e8eb0d20183ff7067c5..8c3e53c46a3397c660f4f4346ecb26cf7c508dc3 100644
--- a/cpu/sam3x8e/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/sam3x8e/Makefile.include
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ export USEMODULE += cortex-m3_common
 export CORTEX_COMMON = $(RIOTCPU)/cortex-m3_common/
 
 # define the linker script to use for this CPU
-export LINKERSCRIPT = $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/sam3x8e_linkerscript.ld
+export LINKERSCRIPT ?= $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/sam3x8e_linkerscript.ld
 
 # include CPU specific includes
 export INCLUDES += -I$(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/include
diff --git a/cpu/samd21/Makefile.include b/cpu/samd21/Makefile.include
index e9bd9d04ab2f4d7e3d970e5107bcb74e90e951e9..145b0814d802f960dabf7f24df965981feeba69f 100644
--- a/cpu/samd21/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/samd21/Makefile.include
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ export CORTEX_COMMON = $(RIOTCPU)/cortex-m0_common/
 export USEMODULE += lib
 
 # define the linker script to use for this CPU
-export LINKERSCRIPT = $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/samd21_linkerscript.ld
+export LINKERSCRIPT ?= $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/samd21_linkerscript.ld
 
 # include CPU specific includes
 export INCLUDES += -I$(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/include
diff --git a/cpu/stm32f0/Makefile.include b/cpu/stm32f0/Makefile.include
index 27d71f5cf2f1f737fbaa5079e267a66400759481..034683b4dc0b790a7ee66b3df5a55febab394da0 100644
--- a/cpu/stm32f0/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/stm32f0/Makefile.include
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ export USEMODULE += lib
 # define the linker script to use for this CPU. The CPU_MODEL variable is defined in the
 # board's Makefile.include. This enables multiple STMF0 controllers with different memory to
 # use the same code-base.
-export LINKERSCRIPT = $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
+export LINKERSCRIPT ?= $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
 
 #export the CPU model
 MODEL = $(shell echo $(CPU_MODEL)|tr 'a-z' 'A-Z')
diff --git a/cpu/stm32f1/Makefile.include b/cpu/stm32f1/Makefile.include
index 7370ae77acdcb271f3934d5eda17eed80b81624d..6d47467833e1048fc7300fd9c491230f3eb1e860 100644
--- a/cpu/stm32f1/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/stm32f1/Makefile.include
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export USEMODULE += lib
 export CORTEXM_COMMON = $(RIOTCPU)/cortex-m3_common/
 
 # define the linker script to use for this CPU
-export LINKERSCRIPT = $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
+export LINKERSCRIPT ?= $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
 
 # include CPU specific includes
 export INCLUDES += -I$(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/include/components
diff --git a/cpu/stm32f3/Makefile.include b/cpu/stm32f3/Makefile.include
index bb97cdfef0b421fa00053c6941be098711673e35..2cb21eea975c3cbf0017b9304f11094c75cc4ff5 100644
--- a/cpu/stm32f3/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/stm32f3/Makefile.include
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ export CORTEX_M4_COMMON = $(RIOTCPU)/cortex-m4_common/
 include $(CORTEX_M4_COMMON)Makefile.include
 
 # define the linker script to use for this CPU
-export LINKERSCRIPT = $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
+export LINKERSCRIPT ?= $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
 
 #export the CPU model
 MODEL = $(shell echo $(CPU_MODEL)|tr 'a-z' 'A-Z')
diff --git a/cpu/stm32f4/Makefile.include b/cpu/stm32f4/Makefile.include
index bb97cdfef0b421fa00053c6941be098711673e35..2cb21eea975c3cbf0017b9304f11094c75cc4ff5 100644
--- a/cpu/stm32f4/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/stm32f4/Makefile.include
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ export CORTEX_M4_COMMON = $(RIOTCPU)/cortex-m4_common/
 include $(CORTEX_M4_COMMON)Makefile.include
 
 # define the linker script to use for this CPU
-export LINKERSCRIPT = $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
+export LINKERSCRIPT ?= $(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/$(CPU_MODEL)_linkerscript.ld
 
 #export the CPU model
 MODEL = $(shell echo $(CPU_MODEL)|tr 'a-z' 'A-Z')