How do I make a long distance relationship work?

I am currently in a serious relationship, but I am finding it difficult to be two hundred miles away from my girl friend. I talk to her every night on the phone and text her all day every day, but it just is not the same as actually spending time with her.

I need this relationship to work out. I honestly cannot think of life without her, but I also can't function with her constantly on my mind. It hurts to think about her and know that I can only see her for a single weekend every three weeks or so. For most of the five hour drive back to the university I am attending, I am either in tears or on the verge of them. It upsets me so much to have to leave her.

I feel as if I've abandoned her. I just don't know what to do. I know that it hurts her that I'm here, and that only makes my being here more upsetting to me. I choose this university before we started dating, and I'm basically here for free, but she's at community college and I can't stand to leave her.

I don't want to break up with her and I don't want to go to a different school. She can't afford to come to this school, and to be quite honest, I don't know if she would like this school. I don't want to hurt her, but I know that every time I leave I hurt her even more. I don't know what to do.

How can I make this work with the least amount of pain on both ends?