8th and 18th best class of 2007 high school football defensive end by Scout.com and Rivals.com, respectively. Rivals also rated him as the 10th best high school football player in the state of Michigan. ESPN.com rated him as the 13th best tight end in the country. Van Bergen was originally a recruit of Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. College Van Bergen made one start as a redshirt freshman for the 2008 Wolverines on October 11 against Toledo. Following the 2008 season, Michigan had to replace three starting senior co-captain defensive linemen: Terrance Taylor, Tim Jamison and Will Johnson. Van Bergen started every game for the 2009 Wolverines at defensive tackle. He totaled 40 tackles, 6.5 TFs, five quarterback sacks, one fumble recovery, and four pass breakups as a redshirt sophomore in 2009. He also posted a touchdown on a fumble recovery against Wisconsin on November 14. His mid 4th quarter sack against Indiana on September 26, 2009 set up a 3rd and 23, a 4th down punt and the subsequent game-winning drive in the 36–33 victory. As a fourth-year junior, Van Bergen started every game for the 2010 Wolverines at defensive end following the departure of defensive end Brandon Graham. He totaled 37 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, five sacks and one pass breakup in 2010. Van Bergen had two solo TFLs on November 13 against Purdue and three solo TFLs in the rivalry game against Ohio State on November 27. He achieved his first seven tackle (five solo and two assist) outing in the January 1, 2011 Gator Bowl against Mississippi State. Van Bergen started at both defensive end and defensive tackle in 2011. He was a 2011 preseason watchlists honoree for the Hendricks Award. He was named the Big Ten Conference Co-defensive Player of the Week on November 14, 2011 for his 2.5 quarterback sack performance against the Illinois Fighting Illini on November 12. In addition to the two solo and one assist sacks, he had an assist on a TFL and achieved his second seven-tackle effort (four solo and three assist). Van Bergen also was recognized by the College Football Performance Awards as the national defensive performer of the week and defensive lineman of the week. The following week, he had two solo TFLs against Nebraska. In the regular season finale against Ohio State on November 26 he tallied seven tackles one more time (five solo and two assist),