Divorced parent situations can complicate need-based financial aid matters:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/2083835-faq-divorced-parents-financial-aid-and-net-price-calculators.html
In addition, real estate assets and income can also complicate matters, since some colleges disallow (add back) deductions that can increase income compared to what is calculated for tax purposes. They may believe that real estate investors have plenty of ways to appear much poorer for tax purposes than they actually are.