Bad high school gpa, what are my chances of getting accepted to uni?

When I was in high school I didn’t do very well because of personal family issues. My hs gpa is about 2.5 and I really regret it. It has been one and a half years since i graduated highschool and i’ve done a lot of growing up and have good work history, but I haven’t entered a college yet. I wanted to skip community college because I know I can make it in a 4 year college and I don’t want to waste more time. Do I have a chance at all? Will retaking my sat/act help? I want necessarily a bad student, but I did go through some things in high school that I learned to work through. Is there any way I can make up for my horrible gpa to make it into a good college?

I wouldn’t say community college is a waste. It’s a two year system that can help you attain a associate’s degree, and later transfer to the university you’re looking for.

If your grades in community college are good, they won’t care about your h.s gpa. 2.5 gpa just doesn’t cut it for uni, even if we take an good act/sat into consideration.

Study for the SAT/ACT very assiduously and try to hit a high score.
How old are you, almost 20?
What state do you live in?
What’s your budget?