There are over 5000 colleges and universities in the United States. But, not all of them will offer your selected major. For this reason, finding your college/university by major is a great tool to help eliminate those colleges/universities that do not offer your desired field of study. 

After narrowing your search to those universities that do offer your selected major, you will still not apply to all of them, obviously because it is not a wise investment of your time. 

Your decision as to which universities to pursue application with will depend on a number of factors including the type of institution (2-year colleges, 4-year colleges/universities, public vs. private institutions, etc.), the size of the institution (small, medium, or large), the location of the institution, and most importantly the admission requirements of the institution. 

Universities are also categorized with the respect to their level of research activity. For applicants seeking admission in graduate school, it is important to be aware of the research classification of your selected universities.

Last but not least, keep in mind that the  best schools won’t necessarily be the ones everyone thinks are great, but rather  the ones that best match you in terms of your major, objectives, priorities, career goals, finances, weather, etc.