UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                  SCHEDULE 13G

                    Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                           (Amendment No.    3    )*
                                         ---------

                    Systems & Computer Technology Corporation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                (Name of Issuer)

                                  Common Stock
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         (Title of Class of Securities)

                                    871873105
                           ---------------------------
                                 (CUSIP Number)

                                December 31, 2003
              -----------------------------------------------------
             (Date of Event Which Requires Filing of this Statement)

 Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule
is filed:

                                [x] Rule 13d-1(b)
                                [_] Rule 13d-1(c)
                                [_] Rule 13d-1(d)

*The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's
initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and
for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed
to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act
but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the
Notes).

                               Page 1 of 10 pages



---------------------------                         ----------------------------
CUSIP No. 871873105                 13G                   Page 2 of 10 pages
          -------------
---------------------------                         ----------------------------

  1    NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
       S.S. or I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

           Columbia Wanger Asset Management, L.P.  36-3820584
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  2    CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*

           Not Applicable                                             (a) [_]
                                                                      (b) [_]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  3    SEC USE ONLY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  4    CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

           Delaware
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      NUMBER OF      5    SOLE VOTING POWER

       SHARES                 None
                     -----------------------------------------------------------
    BENEFICIALLY     6    SHARED VOTING POWER

      OWNED BY                3,707,500
                     -----------------------------------------------------------
        EACH         7    SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER

     REPORTING                None
                     -----------------------------------------------------------
    PERSON WITH      8    SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER

                              3,707,500
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  9    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON

           3,707,500
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  10   CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*

           Not Applicable                                                 [_]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  11   PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9

           10.7%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12   TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*

           IA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



---------------------------                         ----------------------------
CUSIP No. 871873105                 13G                   Page 3 of 10 Pages
          -------------
---------------------------                         ----------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1    NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
       S.S. or I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

           WAM Acquisition GP, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  2    CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*

           Not Applicable                                             (a) [_]
                                                                      (b) [_]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  3    SEC USE ONLY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  4    CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

           Delaware
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      NUMBER OF      5    SOLE VOTING POWER

       SHARES                 None
                     -----------------------------------------------------------
    BENEFICIALLY     6    SHARED VOTING POWER

      OWNED BY                3,707,500
                     -----------------------------------------------------------
        EACH         7    SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER

     REPORTING                None
                     -----------------------------------------------------------
    PERSON WITH      8    SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER

                              3,707,500
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  9    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON

           3,707,500
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  10   CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*

           Not Applicable                                                 [_]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  11   PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9

           10.7%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12   TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*

           CO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



---------------------------                         ----------------------------
CUSIP No. 871873105                 13G                   Page 4 of 10 Pages
          -------------
---------------------------                         ----------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1    NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
       S.S. or I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

           Columbia Acorn Trust
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  2    CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*

           Not Applicable                                             (a) [_]
                                                                      (b) [_]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  3    SEC USE ONLY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  4    CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

           Massachusetts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      NUMBER OF      5    SOLE VOTING POWER

       SHARES                 None
                     -----------------------------------------------------------
    BENEFICIALLY     6    SHARED VOTING POWER

      OWNED BY                3,050,000
                     -----------------------------------------------------------
        EACH         7    SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER

     REPORTING                None
                     -----------------------------------------------------------
    PERSON WITH      8    SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER

                              3,050,000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  9    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON

           3,050,000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  10   CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*

           Not Applicable                                                 [_]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  11   PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9

           8.8%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12   TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*

           IV
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Item 1(a)         Name of Issuer:

                      Systems & Computer Technology Corporation

Item 1(b)         Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices:

                      4 Country View Road
                      Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355

Item 2(a)         Name of Person Filing:

                      Columbia Wanger Asset Management, L.P. ("WAM")
                      WAM Acquisition GP, Inc., the general partner of WAM
                        ("WAM GP")
                      Columbia Acorn Trust ("Acorn")

Item 2(b)         Address of Principal Business Office:

                      WAM, WAM GP and Acorn are all located at:

                      227 West Monroe Street, Suite 3000
                      Chicago, Illinois 60606

Item 2(c)         Citizenship:

                      WAM is a Delaware limited partnership; WAM GP is a
                      Delaware corporation; and Acorn is a Massachusetts
                      business trust.

Item 2(d)         Title of Class of Securities:

                      Common Stock

Item 2(e)         CUSIP Number:

                      871873105

Item 3            Type of Person:

                      (d)   Acorn is an Investment Company under section 8 of
                            the Investment Company Act.

                      (e)   WAM is an Investment Adviser registered under
                            section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940;
                            WAM GP is the General Partner of the Investment
                            Adviser.

                               Page 5 of 10 Pages



Item 4            Ownership (at December 31, 2003):

                      (a)   Amount owned "beneficially" within the meaning of
                            rule 13d-3:

                            3,707,500

                      (b)   Percent of class:

                            10.7% (based on 34,752,882 shares outstanding as of
                            December 15, 2003).

                      (c)   Number of shares as to which such person has:

                              (i)   sole power to vote or to direct the vote:
                                    none

                             (ii)   shared power to vote or to direct the vote:
                                    3,707,500

                            (iii)   sole power to dispose or to direct the
                                    disposition of: none

                             (iv)   shared power to dispose or to direct
                                    disposition of: 3,707,500

Item 5            Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class:

                      Not Applicable

Item 6            Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another
                  Person:

                      The shares reported herein have been acquired on behalf of
                      discretionary clients of WAM, including Acorn. Persons
                      other than WAM and WAM GP are entitled to receive all
                      dividends from, and proceeds from the sale of, those
                      shares. Acorn is the only such person known to be
                      entitled to all dividends from, and all proceeds from the
                      sale of, shares reported herein to the extent of more than
                      5% of the class.

Item 7            Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which
                  Acquired the Security Being Reported on by the Parent Holding
                  Company:

                      Not Applicable

Item 8            Identification and Classification of Members of the Group:

                      Not Applicable

Item 9            Notice of Dissolution of Group:

                      Not Applicable

                               Page 6 of 10 Pages



Item 10        Certification:

                    By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge
               and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and
               are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired
               and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of
               changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the
               securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection
               with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose
               or effect.

                               Page 7 of 10 Pages



                                    Signature

     After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I
certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and
correct.

Date:  February 13, 2004

               The undersigned corporation, on the date above written, agrees
               and consents to the joint filing on its behalf of this Schedule
               13G in connection with its beneficial ownership of the security
               reported herein.

                                     WAM Acquisition GP, Inc.
                                         for itself and as general partner of
                                         COLUMBIA WANGER ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.

                                     By: /s/ Bruce H. Lauer
                                         ---------------------------------------
                                             Bruce H. Lauer
                                             Senior Vice President and Secretary

               The undersigned trust, on the date above written, agrees and
               consents to the joint filing on its behalf of this Schedule 13G
               in connection with its beneficial ownership of the security
               reported herein.

                                     COLUMBIA ACORN TRUST

                                     By: /s/ Bruce H. Lauer
                                         ---------------------------------------
                                             Bruce H. Lauer
                                             Vice President, Treasurer and
                                             Secretary

                               Page 8 of 10 Pages



                                  Exhibit Index

Exhibit 1      Joint Filing  Agreement  dated as of  February 13,  2004 by and
               among Columbia Wanger Asset  Management,  L.P., WAM  Acquisition
               GP, Inc. and Columbia Acorn Trust.

                               Page 9 of 10 Pages



                                                                       EXHIBIT 1

                             JOINT FILING AGREEMENT

     The undersigned hereby agree to the joint filing of the Schedule 13G to
which this Agreement is attached.

               Dated:  February 13, 2004

                                    WAM Acquisition GP, Inc.
                                        for itself and as general partner of
                                        COLUMBIA WANGER ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.

                                    By: /s/ Bruce H. Lauer
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                            Bruce H. Lauer
                                            Senior Vice President and Secretary

                                    COLUMBIA ACORN TRUST

                                    By: /s/ Bruce H. Lauer
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                            Bruce H. Lauer
                                            Vice President, Treasurer and
                                            Secretary

                              Page 10 of 10 Pages